Severus Gets a Belle
by runninonfaith
Summary: Severus Snape wakes in the hospital after the fall of Voldemort to find a new outlook on life. Will he finally find happiness when a young stranger falls into his care? SS/OFC, AU, OOC, Fluff, Romance, Foul Language, lemons, and disregards Epilogue!
1. Chapter 1 The Awakening

A/N: Of course, all the characters (except mine) belong to JKR. This story kinda sorta sticks to canon when it's convenient. Also, it would help to be a little familiar with The University of Mississippi, as it makes up a large part of my character's history. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. This story is not beta-read, so all mistakes are my own. Please leave me some feedback.

The Awakening

Snape awoke two days after the fall of Voldemort in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. For a brief moment he was disoriented and felt the sting of Nagini's bite on his neck. Touching the painful place with the tips of his long, pale fingers, he felt a loosely taped, bulky square bandage covering the bite wounds. He tried to speak, but only air escaped from his throat, void of sound. Dropping his head back to his pillow, he painfully opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

He was relieved, realizing he was alive, and found even greater comfort in seeing Harry sleeping in the chair next to the bed. His lips were dry and cracked and he tried to moisten them with his tongue. Positioning his mouth to speak, he strained with every vein in his neck protruding, his face flushed hot, but no sound came.

Harry woke when he heard the bed springs popping underneath Snape, who was attempting to get up. Leaping from the chair to the bedside, Harry's voice echoed again and again in the room, "Professor! Lie still! You're alright!" Nervously placing his hands on Snape's shoulders to keep him from moving, he called to Madam Pomfrey, "He's awake! Come quickly!"

Madam Pomfrey scurried across the room, her full, floor-length skirt flowing as she moved. As she approached Snape's bedside, she immediately began taking his pulse. His vision cleared and he saw that her usually sweet face looked tired and concerned. He assumed the dark circles under her eyes and all the prominent lines streaking her skin were from the stress of having tended to the wounded from the war. The young moans of agony echoing through the room supported his theory. Her once bright blue eyes were saddened and heartbroken, but realized her failed attempt to remain indifferent the longer she held his wrist.

Satisfied with his pulse, she was filled with relief and turned her back to him, wiping her eyes with her apron before pouring cold water for him. Playfully scolding him with a relieved tone, "You had me worried sick, Severus."

He tried to raise his head to speak. There was one thing he desperately needed to know.

Gently placing a steady hand on his shoulder to restrain him, she snapped into her professional, demanding self, "Don't you even think of moving from this bed! Your blood needs another twenty-four hours for the potion to cleanse the poison completely out, but you'll be fine." She lifted his head and held the cup to his parched lips. Nodding at Harry, she instructed, "Ok, Mr. Potter, time to go clean up and have yourself a rest." After lowering Snape's head, she tugged at his blanket to straighten the bedding, and padded away to tend to the other patients.

Harry tried hard not to let the tears fall that were welling up in his eyes. So many years of hate and resentment had healed the moment he viewed Snape's memory. He still found it hard to believe that the one person in the world he hated the most had been the one looking out for him all along. Harry was more grateful than he had ever been to anyone in his life, and now respected Snape for his bravery and protection. There were so many things he wanted to say at this moment that he had no idea where to begin. However, he thought it better to have more time to prepare for that particular conversation now that he knew his protector was going to live.

Frustrated, trying once more to lift his head, Snape was restrained by Harry's hand pushing back on his shoulder. Snape grabbed Harry's wrist, squeezing hard. Startled, Harry did not make an attempt to pull his hand away, as he saw that Snape was frantically trying to speak.

"Is he...dead?" Snape managed to whisper. His black eyes burned into Harry's face and his last bit of energy went into tightening his grip, almost torturing Harry into answering him. He felt the increasing pain from Nagini's bite marks burning into his neck the more he strained.

"Yes! Voldemort is dead!" Harry cried out, emoting cries of victory from other patients rallying at the Dark Wizard's demise. Little did Snape know, he was quickly becoming a celebrity among the Hogwarts students.

Snape softened his glare into a look of sincerity, his body trembling from rage, relief, and weakness. Releasing Harry's hand, flopping onto his pillow, he exhaled all his air upon landing. Raising his arm, he saw that the Dark Mark was gone and nothing remained but a blank canvass of pale, white skin. The corners of his mouth turned into a grin, which was normally hard for him because it was an activity in which he almost never engaged.

Madam Pomfrey strolled over, motioning for Harry to leave as she stuck a thermometer in Snape's upturned mouth.

Lowering his voice, Harry insisted, "We'll talk about everything when you get better. For now you have to try to not move at all. I'll be back in the morning to check on you, Professor." Harry made sure his back was turned before he wiped his eyes

"Poor boy," Madam Pomfrey said in a soft, calm voice, tugging at the sheets. "He's been sitting in that chair for two days straight. He hasn't left your side since he brought you in. Risked his life for you, he did. I've been making him eat." She was dabbing a cold rag on Snape's forehead. "We're going to get you patched up in no time and you can go back to scaring the dickens out of the students," she said reassuringly.

A charge of humility streamed through him. 'Scaring the dickens out of the students,' he thought. 'Alive!' He grinned and laughed quietly.

She checked her bifocals as she saw him smile, "That's something you don't see everyday!" After pulling the thermometer out of his mouth, she held it to the light. "Perfectly normal."

Snape felt a bizarre urge to laugh. He brought his right hand up to his forehead and smiled toothily. At that moment he was simply happy to be alive, despite the fact that he knew he was the most loathed teacher in the history of Hogwarts, and absolutely no one cared for him.

"Glad to have you back, Professor," Madam Pomfrey chuckled as she walked away to tend to the other patients.

He was exhausted and welcomed the sleepiness he felt. As he relaxed, he saw the moon illuminating a stained glass window with a single white flower. _'Lily,'_ he thought, as his worst memory played in his mind._ 'Why did I call you that horrible name? Mudblood! Why did I make the choices I did? Why? Then you fell in love with Potter and not me. I never told you. I should have told you. I'm alone and will be forever. I should be dead.' _Admitting regret gave him inner peace and he drifted into the best sleep of his life.

Snape awoke early the next morning with the sun radiating in his eyes. Madam Pomfrey noticed his grimace immediately as she was pushing the breakfast trolley. Without looking in the direction of the windows, she threw a spell with her wand that drew the curtains closed, not missing a stride.

She lifted the lid and presented the main dish. "Bacon, eggs, and toast! I expect you to eat every bite and drink all of your Pumpkin Juice." She shook open the napkin and tied it around his neck. "How are you feeling this beautiful morning, love?"

He pursed his lips and managed a very raspy and unemotional, "Fabulous." Without looking up, he doused his teabag up and down in his cup. The first sip of hot tea soothed and coated his aching throat. He hardly swallowed the second when a small, gray owl dropped the most recent edition of _The Daily Prophet_ onto his bed and flew away. Madam Pomfrey tried to grab it, but Snape snatched it first. He held it up and snapped it open with a pop.

In big, bold letters across the top of the front page was the headline, _'Severus Snape Reinstated as Hogwarts Headmaster'._ He peered at the words and sighed with relief as his eyes moved back and forth, quickly scanning the article. The front page articles also included details surrounding the death of Voldemort, as well as Harry's brilliant incantation that saved his life. Flipping the page, he saw the obituaries spanning an overwhelming two pages. He recognized a lot of names, but reading the names of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks sent a wave of cold chills throughout his fiber. He folded the paper and placed it on the night stand, thinking of the baby they left behind.

Madam Pomfrey had not yet moved from her place. Her eyes were wide open, awaiting his reaction. Too much agitation at this point could cause a serious setback in his recovery. She was also afraid the Daily Prophet had done its usual job of sacrificing its integrity for sensationalism by misrepresenting him as an evil Death Eater.

"When may I leave this hospital?" He rasped wryly, looking straight ahead at nothing. Fighting his emotions, he snapped his head to look at her, awaiting her response.

"Well, your color looks good, your wounds are healing nicely, and you're back in a bad mood. Hmm. I would say you are almost back to normal. At this rate, I think you may be able leave this evening after I've seen you eat a healthy dinner," she replied.

That evening, Madam Pomfrey arranged for Harry to be served with Snape and he arrived just as their dinner was being wheeled in. Harry carefully approached Snape and timidly handed him a festive gift bag stuffed with Chocolate Frogs. Snape looked at it with no emotion and accepted the bag only with his thumb and forefinger.

"These have always made me feel better whenever I've had to spend time in here, Professor. Sorry…Er… I didn't know your preferences," Harry exhaled, with a nervous smile.

Lifting one corner of his mouth, Snape eyed Harry and replied dryly, "Well, we'll have to work on that, won't we, Potter?" Peering into the bag, his long, pale fingers pulled out a small box, and opened the packaging. The collectible card did not have anyone in the picture at the moment, but he saw the words 'Headmaster Severus Snape' and then his picture appeared. "Ah. It is me." He said plainly, and blissflully raised the chocolate frog to his mouth and bit off its head, closing his eyes to savor the delicacy.

Dinner was quiet with few words spoken. The silence between them was comforting and the food was delectable. The two agreed, however, that the House Elves had obviously out done themselves by straightening the kitchens in such a short time since the war and they were grateful for the comfort of the familiar magical cuisine.

Harry broke the silence by clearing his throat before he spoke, "The House Elves have been working overtime to restore the Hogwarts way of life. There is extensive damage all over the castle and grounds, but they are giving it everything they've got to make it right again."

"Hm," Snape grunted in agreement without looking up from his pot roast.

Harry wanted to thank the brave wizard sitting before him, but neither one knew how to begin the conversation they needed to have. However, there was a silent mutual understanding that they both graciously accepted.

After they finished eating, Snape wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin, and tossed it across his plate as a formal indicator that his meal was completed. Swinging his legs over the bed, he tried to stand and Harry moved the rolling tray just in time to steady the Professor.

Snape stood to his full height and glared at Harry's hand clamped onto his arm. Raising an eyebrow, he dryly said, "If you would kindly remove your _grrrip_ on my arm I promise to not hex you when my wand is returned."

Harry quickly let go of Snape's arm and looked at the floor, smiling as he realized the lack of acid in the older wizard's voice. _Was that a joke? Snape was joking?_ Covering his mouth to hide his grin, he enjoyed the Professor's sense of humor.

Madam Pomfrey arrived to give Snape a final examination before releasing him from the hospital. Finding his health acceptable, she tearfully returned his wand before bidding him good night.

Harry helped Snape on with his cloak and walked him to his tower.

Standing at the entrance, Harry shoved his hands in his pockets and asked, "Is there anything you need before I go, Professor?"

Snape pursed his lips and considered the young man for a moment before answering. "Actually, Mister Potter," Snape rasped, "I would like to say…that I am proud of you. You have done well. My debt to you will never be resolved in any lifetime." His voice broke and could feel his lifetime of darkness fading to light.

Harry removed his right hand from the safety of his pocket and offered it to the former Bat of the Dungeons. Timidly, he offered, "Thank you, sir. I would have to say the same about you."

Snape took Harry's hand in his right, accepting the truce.

The young wizard exhaled and added, in earnest, "You are. Without a doubt. The bravest man I ever knew.

Snape clasped his free hand over Harry's and shook one firm time, seeing Lily in his eyes. For the first time in almost twenty years he was able to find some type of absolution from the mistakes of his past. He felt the life debt that he owed to her was finally forgiven by speaking to him through her son's eyes.

Snape closed the door behind him and leaned against it, taking a long, appreciative look around. The elves had straightened the mess and prepared it for his arrival. It was a welcoming sight after all he had endured during the week. He noticed that he wasn't as tired as he was when he left the hospital just minutes before and took a moment to collect himself. Although he was rapidly feeling his strength return, he was becoming overwrought with emotions.

Fighting the urge to weep, he forcefully removed his wand from his robes and pointed it at the fireplace, commanding, "Incendio!"

Pouring a shot of Firewhisky, he slouched down on his chair behind the heavy, ancient Headmaster's desk and watched the dancing flames of the fire. Enjoying his first time back in his chambers since his trip to the Shrieking Shack a few days prior, he welcomed its comforting tranquility of familiarity.

The flames of the fire flickered in his eyes as he reflected on recent events. Gliding his hand across the smooth top of the desk, he thought that Dumbledore should be sitting there instead of him. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed at his realization that several of his colleagues would never again gather at meetings of The Order. He was still not sure of everyone who was killed, but he leaned his head on the back of the chair, closed his eyes, and privately allowed the inevitable tears to flow.


	2. Chapter 2 Beautiful Stranger

Beautiful Stranger

Snape had almost drifted off to sleep when he heard a voice coming from somewhere close. It sounded like a woman's voice just outside his door, but when he looked, no one was there. He carefully surveyed the shadows of the dimly lit room. Hearing the noise again, he silently walked to the bedroom. Quietly cracking open the door, he peered into the room as he listened intently, hoping to find the source of the detached voice. Finding nothing out of sorts, he dismissed it from his mind and returned to his chair.

Exhaling a loud breath, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, welcoming the solitude of his quarters. A loud jingling of something metal on marble startled him to attention. Standing, he readied his wand and crept in the direction of the sound. Coming from his bathroom was a noise that sounded like the panting of a rabid animal. Certainly in no mood for intruders, he stopped at the closed door, ready to cast the killing curse to eliminate the culprit.

Gripping his wand, he sucked in a deep breath and carefully pulled open the heavy arched door, triggering it to creek loudly on its hinges. The room was pitch black dark and he quickly realized the sounds were not of an animal, but were the whimpers of a woman in distress. Her breathing was erratic and audibly echoing endlessly in the enormous bathroom.

"Lumos!" He commanded, causing the tip of his wand to emit a faint, blue glow. There was just enough light to see a young woman on her hands and knees, frantically scrambling for a set of keys on the floor. Her breathing was erratic as she began to hyperventilate and speak at the same time.

"D-don't sh-sh shoot!" She managed. Her chest was heaving with panic as she raised her hands over her head.

"P- Please, mistah! D-Don't k-kill me w-with that thing!" She begged, lowering her face and squeezing her eyes together, as if waiting on him to pull the trigger of a loaded gun.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded to know. His voice dominated the room as it resonated within the stone walls of the massive bathroom. He continued to point the illuminated tip of his wand toward her as his dark, black eyes flashed authoritatively.

She shuddered in the quake of his commanding voice, and shrank in the presence of his tall, cloaked, sinister stature moving closer to her. Afraid for her life, she tried to stand, but fainted, striking her head on the marble floor. He lunged to grab her, but was too late to catch her.

Bringing the torches to life, he flipped the young woman onto her back, and sat next to her, easing her head onto his lap. He closed her wound effortlessly with a flick of his wand, and pushed her bloody hair away from her face. After conjuring a washcloth full of water, he gently dabbed the blood and grit away from her features while looking for any clues as to who or what she could be.

He studied the chiseled line of her jaw, her straight nose, and the curves of her rose-blushed lips. The creases of her mouth naturally turned up, giving her a devilishly unspoiled look. Noticing his pale, white hands on her darkened skin, he carefully eased her head from his lap to the floor. She had a bronze glow, as though she had selectively exposed herself to the sun.

Although he was taken with her wholesome appearance, he was dumbfounded by the romantic stirrings within him. _What the hell? No, no, no. This is not the time..._

There had to be a reason for her presence in his bathroom. Perhaps she was a werewolf, waking up after a night of feeding and slaughtering. Considering the possibility, he knelt beside her and hovered over her to look for clues. Her fingernails were clean with no signs of blood or murder, and her face was unsoiled. Turning his head slightly, he leaned his nose close to her mouth to smell her breath. Expecting the stench of old blood, he lightly sniffed, but was greeted with the refreshing aroma of peppermint. He lingered close to her lips, taking in the minty essence of her breathing as he watched her chest rise and fall. _I could kiss her,_ he thought, but closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to feel her breath on his lips.

An unexpected pang of concern ran through him when he realized she did not belong in the magic world, whatsoever. Her clothes were soiled and bloody, but he could easily see they were strictly Muggle. Her bag bore the crest of an old man with white hair, a mustache and a beard. It appeared his name was_ Ole Miss._ She had on jeans that were curiously ripped and frayed at the knee. Her worn, untied sneakers were light blue and she wore a frayed, white t-shirt with the same crest as her bag. He felt a strange empathy for the young woman in that he had grown up wearing second hand clothing, as well. Dismissing the possibility of her being a vagrant, he could not help himself from giving in to his heightening curiosity.

"Who _are you?_" He whispered, still kneeling beside her.

Lying next to her on the floor was a small leather book with a latch on it. He picked it up with one hand and studied it momentarily. Clicking the latch, he thought it was a diary, but it did not open. He placed it back into her bag and picked up her keys, taking notice of the bottle opener hanging from the ring. They jingled, hitting the solid floor, as he accidentally dropped them, and glanced at her to make sure the sound did not wake her.

Sliding his hand quietly back into her bag, he found her wallet. He unsnapped it and flipped through her small file of a twenty dollar bill, a checkbook, a receipt for gasoline, and a plastic divider full of small pictures. He pulled out a card that read _Mississippi Driver License_ across the top. In the left hand corner was a very unattractive picture of a beautiful, frowning young woman who had apparently not been ready when the camera was snapped. She stirred before he could read all of her information and he quickly replaced the card in its slot, and dropped the wallet back into the bag.

He could not explain the elation he suddenly felt when looking at her. A feeling of liberation and euphoria swept over him as he considered her alluringly helpless form lying on the bathroom floor. He had already lost everything a wizard could lose, including his dignity, but a mystifying feeling of hope overpowered him. His mortal enemy was dead and the chains of being a double agent were broken, and he had a beautiful stranger at his mercy. Smiling to himself, he welcomed this new mystery with intrigue, willingness, and near obsession. Assigning himself the role of her protector, he decided to tell no one about her presence until he was certain it was safe to do so.

Sliding his hands under her legs and shoulders, he lifted her and briefly admired her face. "I will take care of you, my beautiful stranger," he whispered on her cheek.

Careful to not wake her, he mustered the last of his strength to bend and place her on the sofa in the sitting room. Stretching his back, he watched her roll over onto her left side, thankfully not waking up. He gazed at her vulnerable shape as she slept.

"Who are you?" He asked aloud in his softest voice, secretly enjoying the thrill of having her at his mercy.

Snape retrieved her bag from the bathroom with the intention of further investigating its contents, but was certain she would wake as he rifled through her personal things. Placing the bag quietly on the floor, he covered her with an afghan and plopped down on the cushy chair across from her. Knowing full well that she was harmless, he was comfortable in her presence, and enjoyed the peaceful sounds of her slumber. Crossing his boots on the coffee table, he fixed his eyes on her and guarded her sleep until his own eyes closed.

Chapter End Notes:

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	3. Chapter 3 Castles Don't Have Phones

Castles Don't Have Phones

The sun was peeking through the windows, beaming directly across Snape's face. He woke suddenly, as his chin slid off his hand, causing his head to jerk forward. Blinded by the sun, he rubbed his eyes, and heard the woman rummaging frantically through her bag.

"Have you seen mah keys? Ah can't find mah cell phone! Can you tell me where ah am?" Her voice quivered as a result of her shaking.

Listening to her talk captivated him. Seeing her come into focus as the sunspot disappeared from his eyes, he was stupefied at the sudden emotion of ineptness overtaking him. Momentarily stunned at the reality of having a living, breathing woman in his quarters excited him, but simultaneously petrified him due to his complete lack of experience with the opposite sex.

"Where tha hell is that dayem phone!" She glanced at Snape, hoping he would know.

Shrugging his shoulders, he realized his mouth was gaping open, and he promptly closed it. Words would not form on his lips to answer her. For once in his life, Severus Snape was so smitten with a female to the point that he could not speak. It was as if she had sucked all the oxygen out of the room, and he could only breathe if he saw her do it. His heart raced, his face flushed hot, and he briefly thought he was having a heart attack.

Huffing, she began dropping the contents of the bag noisily onto the table, one item at a time; Books, lipstick, car keys, makeup bag, wallet, mail, and various notebooks were all carelessly piled in front of her. The tube of lipstick began to roll along the dark wood table, picking up speed as it rattled toward the edge. Only his eyes moved, watching the black and red cylinder until it fell into his hand. He opened it, gave it a sniff, and twisted the color up and down.

A soft knock came from the door. "It's Harben with Master's breakfast, sir," the ancient house elf's voice humbly answered.

"Leave it at the door!" He ordered, without taking his wandering eyes off the mystery woman.

"As you wish," the elf replied, his voice trailing away as he descended the stairs.

His throat was now dry, mostly in part from having slept in the chair, but also from the electricity his nerves were sending him every time he glanced at her. Carefully placing her lipstick tube among the rest of her things, he rose to retrieve the cart of food left by the elf. His back and his knees were stiff, and he took a moment to completely straighten.

"Would you care…" His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, putting his fisted hand to his mouth. "Would you care for something to eat or drink?"

Her eyes were round and open with uncertainty and confusion, silently begging for information. She carefully watched him open the door and roll in the shiny silver food tray, not sure if she was in an expensive hotel with room service, or a museum.

"Where am ah?" She asked, dazed. Nervously clicking a pen, she scanned the magical oddities on the shelves of the room.

"Scotland...A boarding school." He was careful to not divulge more information as necessary right away for fear of scaring her. "I do not know how you managed to come here. When I found you last night you were in no condition to talk. I'll pour us a spot of tea and we'll sort this," he said smoothly, acting as though she were invited as a guest. He unknowingly spoke in short sentences due to his feelings of inferiority of entertaining beautiful, disoriented young Muggle women.

She looked around the room, searching for answers, but could not see past the moving portraits on the walls. The people in them were chatting and whispering to one another about her. Chills ran all over her body when she heard one of the male portraits charge, "She is a _Muggle_! You must report her at once!"

"Shush!" Snape called to the bickering portraits. They protested his command, but became silent.

She quaked, turning pale, alarmed at how he casually spoke to them. Eying the door, she began easing toward it, but stopped when the portrait of Albus Dumbledore subliminally spoke to her conscience. "_You should have tea, my dear." _She did not hear his voice, but felt the order as her own thought.

Snape pulled out the chair, motioning for her to sit. He waited for her, becoming impatient. His inflection became low and stern. "Please. Sit."

She complied, stumbling toward the table. Watching him glide to his seat, she defensively said, "I really need to know how I got here, who you are, and..." She hesitated, seeing the bite scars on his neck, "What the hell happened last night? Did I get _drunk_?" She put her hand over her eyes. "We didn't...um..._you know_…_did we_?"

Momentarily taken aback, he was elated that she unknowingly admitted she would ever consider him in such a light, but did not want her to think he would take advantage of her. "For your information, young lady, nothing passed between us that would be considered inappropriate behavior!"

Looking across the table at her, he hoped she would not notice the flushing warmth of blood rushing to his face as he blushed. Busying himself stirring his tea, he said, "I was hoping _you _could enlighten _me_ as to how_ your_ presence came about in my chambers." He sipped tea while peering at her over the cup and returned it to the saucer with a faint 'clink'. Swallowing hard, he said coolly, "I am Professor Severus Snape, Headmaster of this institution."

From the corner of her eyes, she skimmed his clothing, and thought he looked odd to be a professor. He was covered from head to toe in black garments. His black coat extended to his knees with a single row of black covered buttons, aligned neatly all along one side. She thought it looked like a light weight top coat for horseback riding, as it gave him a dignified appearance. His tapered pants covering his long legs were black with buttons on the lower sides that perfectly matched his coat. The lower three were unbuttoned, allowing room for his tall, black boots. Topping off his attire was a long, black cloak that skimmed the ground as he walked. She thought his clothing too _costumey_ for class, since she was used to all of her professors simply wearing white shirts and cheap clip-on ties.

"And what institution is _that?"_ She asked, rolling her eyes. She thought her situation was too surreal to be actually happening.

Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms defensively, and firmly answered her. "This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"So…you're a...._wizard?"_ She stared at him, momentarily cocking her head. Seeing movement from the corner of her eye, she glanced at the portraits on the wall and found confirmation from them as they nodded, obviously proud of him.

Laughing out loud, she thought it was a joke being played on her. "Yaw'll take this shit too far, ya know. Yaw'll 'r like a bunch of little boys! This whole Renaissance Weekend thing is just like Halloween to yaw'll." Holding up her hands, she spread her fingers, mockingly excited, and asked, "When's the jousting event? OOOh ah can't wait for that!" She continued laughing, "When's Robin Hood gonna get here? Will he be wearing tights? What the hell kind of whiskey were ya'll servin' last night? I don't remember shit!" Straightening her books, she slid them into her bag, blushing and looking at the floor as she spoke. "Listen. Ah'm really, really sorry. Ah don't _ever_ do things lahk this, but ah'm sure we had a great time together. Ah just wish ah could remember it. Great costume, though!" She laughingly gave him a wink. "Thank you, um, for a great party…maybe we'll get together again…"

His patience wore thin and he snapped, interrupting her, "Miss, whatever your names is...Miss...er... Miss?" I _assure you_ there was no party held on these grounds last night! Why do you continue to assume having had relations with me? A _stranger_ to you! Does this accurately represent the content of your character?" Regretting his tone, he wished he could have reached into the air and grabbed his words before they fell on her ears.

Clearly offended, she hastily scraped the rest of her things into her bag, and angrily jerked the double straps onto her shoulder. Livid and humiliated, she stomped to the door, and put her hand on the handle. "Listen, Snake, or Snape, or whatever the _hell_ yer name is. Ah'm not exactly _happy_ 'bout _bein' _here, so if you'll just show me the way out..." She tried to pull open the door, but it would not budge, and she began to tug at it violently, in a panic.

"Forgive me," he pleaded amiably, in a softer tone. Taking a few steps toward her, he stuttered, "I-I…That was rude of me and I apologize." He looked her directly in the eyes, awkwardly aware of his inept social skills, but wanting more than anything to keep her there. "You must not panic. It is not safe for you to leave the refuge of these quarters. I assure you that I will take extra care in ensuring your safety, but we cannot discuss a solution if you remain upset to this extent."

At that moment, he would have done anything to make her stay. Lowering his eyes, he shyly requested, "_Please_ have tea with me."

Finally grasping the reality of her surreal situation, she strangely appreciated his sincerity and gentlemanly conduct. She felt humbled by his peculiar hospitality, as she could tell he did not have much opportunity to entertain guests. Although his dark appearance was sinister, she felt safe with him, as well as her surroundings. The longer she was around him, the more she found him mysteriously fascinating and alluring, but felt an unexplainable pang of sadness within him.

Placing her bag next to the table, she slowly sat, not taking her eyes off him. Not knowing what he wanted from her kept her on the defense, but her barriers were breaking the more she experienced his intense presence and hospitality.

"Ok. One cup and then ah've _gotta_ find a phone and call someone. Maybe the airlines, or somethin'."

She began giggling when she randomly remembered a line the audience yells in _The Rocky Horror Picture Show, _and whooped,_ "Castles don't have phones, bitch!" _After falling into a fit of laughter, she recovered, fanning her face apologetically, and laughed harder at his bewildered expression.

He had no clue as to what she was talking about, but watched her self amusement with fascination, enjoying the refreshing sound of her laughter and the luminosity of her easy smile.

Snape agreed, raising one eyebrow. "Indeed. The castle has no phone." Feeling his face flexing, he realized he was smiling.

Noticing his sudden cheerfulness, she saw that he was no longer hiding behind the veil of his long, stringy black hair. His skin was naturally pallid, causing the lines in his face to appear deepened, making him look older than he really was. He had solid black eyes like tunnels that seemed hollow and searching. However, there was a kindness in them that longed to be discovered, and she was furtively drawn to him. She felt a strong awareness of their differences, but felt kindred to him because she sensed they were both misplaced and searching for a way home.

He felt the need to make polite conversation. "I am curious about your accent. I have never heard anything quite like it. I find it charming how you add syllables to words."

Sitting with her back perfectly straight, she fanned her face with her hand, blinking her eyes repeatedly as she drawled, "Well, Ah've always d'pended on tha kyahness uh strainjahs." She put the teacup to her lips, holding up her pinky finger, and carefully drew in a small sip. She winced, as if she had something horrible on her tongue. Dropping her imitation, she let the cup fall onto the saucer, clinking loudly, and spit the contents of her mouth into an empty glass.

"Ewww...! That _ain't_ kawfee! What the hell is this shit?" She demanded to know as she took a peppermint candy from her pocket and quickly popped it into her mouth.

Snape's eyes danced with amusement as he watched her sudden change in actions from graceful southern belle to an absurd, foul-mouthed young vixen.

"Er...sorry." She said, putting a napkin over her spit glass, "Ah'm Katie and ah'm a graduate music student at the university in Oxford." She smiled, awaiting his reply, still crunching the peppermint. "In Mississippi…not…er…here," she continued, feeling a little stupid. "So…you're a _wizard,"_ she said again, as if she was trying to convince herself of the fact.

Interrupting her thoughts, a white owl flew through the open window, dropped a letter in Snape's lap and fluttered away. Although the bird was beautiful, its mission scared Katie, causing her to revert to panic. She immediately continued the frantic search for her cell phone. She looked down toward her pockets as she felt for it and noticed the blood on her clothes. She froze in place and stared straight at Snape in shock.

_"I'm bleedin'!_ There's _blood_ on me! Where'd this _blood_ come from?" She held out her shirt to show him the stains, as if it was new to him, too.

Calmly sipping tea, he said smoothly, "There is no need to panic. You fainted and hit your head. You are perfectly alright. I mended the wound soon after it happened." He sat his teacup on the table and placed the unread letter next to it, deciding he would read it later.

Katie dumped the remaining contents of her bag onto the table and her cell phone fell to the stone floor with a 'crack'. The battery and the back scattered in different directions.

"Dammit!" She gasped, clenching her fists. She scanned the floor, hoping to find the pieces quickly.

Crawling on her hands and knees, she found the scattered parts of the cell phone. Her hands were trembling as she clumsily snapped them back together. Sitting in the floor with one foot folded under her, she flipped it open, and began punching in numbers with her thumbs.

"If that is an electronic gadget, I am sure it will do you no good in this place. There are spells and enchantments that prevent them from working properly on the grounds of Hogwarts. The measures are strictly for security purposes, of course."

Ignoring him, she tried turning it on again. "Damn battery! Piece 'a shit! It's dead!" She threw the cell phone onto the table, watching it bounce into the pile of her other things. A stitch of anxiety overtook her as she sat cross legged on the floor. She began to cry, powerless of resolving her situation. Propping her elbows on her knees, she put her face in her hands, defeated, and became incolsolable.

He felt helpless sitting at the breakfast table while she pitifully wept in the floor. Knowing he must do something constructive for her, he timidly approached her with a napkin, and offered to help her up. Standing, she wiped her eyes and her nose on the napkin, and leaned her forehead on his chest.

Taking a deep breath, she wailed, "Ah'm so sorry ah'm here. Ah'm really confused. Ah don't have a _clue_ how ah got here. One minute ah was practicin' the piano and then a storm blew in. There was a tornado or somethin'. Ah don't know ah don't remember! Ah don't mean to be a bother."

Having never been confronted before with a woman crying into his chest, he stood frozen in place, his hands rigidly at his sides. He felt her body shaking as she sobbed, leaning on him for support. Lifting his arms to reach around her, he was careful to not let them touch her, but awkwardly patted her on the back, only touching her with his hands.

Surprising himself with the softness of his voice, he offered, "Katie, you are away from the life you know and all things familiar to you. Have breakfast with me and we will work toward solving the mystery. At this moment, the only thing you can do is calm yourself and relax. Crying this way solves nothing."

He was certain, without a doubt, that she was indeed a Muggle thrown out of her world and into his. Was someone playing a cruel joke on him as they have so many times in the past? Still, she remained a secret he wanted to keep all to himself. He wanted to comfort her, hold her, and befriend her. She had no idea how quickly he was becoming fond of her and he could only hope she felt the same, but believed no one could ever have romantic feelings for him. Pulling out the chair for her, he decided to help her find her way home and to cast his feelings aside as he had been forced to do so many times in his life.

He buttered a piece of crisp toast and passed it to her. She accepted it without hesitation, devouring it. Giving her another, she chewed slowly, staring out the window as silent tears streamed down her face. The morning sun set a spotlight on her deep green eyes as she turned them toward him, offering a tearstained half smile. He felt a rush of warmth pass through his soul, quenching the drought of his barren, lonely life.

"After you are finished with your breakfast, I will draw you a bath and find you a change of clothes. I am sure that you would feel much better after a nice soak. I must go down and see the students off for the summer, but I will return before dusk and I promise you, Katie Miss, we will make every effort to find a solution to your dilemma. Now, tell me your preferences and I will have the house elves make you a very satisfying dinner." He said, trying to be hospitable, but it sounded more like instructions from a very firm teacher.

"Ok. Thank you. _Coffee_. And lots of it. Anything but that shi….I mean that _stuff_ you gave me a while ago," she said, pushing the curtains all the way to the side. Approaching the door size window, she lightly pushed and it opened to the outside. From the tower, the view was a breathtaking green landscape with mountains in the distance. She saw a dark lake that looked like a small sea with the mountains reflecting in the waves.

"It's really beautiful here." She said, thinking aloud.

He started toward the window to share the view with her, but stopped when he saw the light of morning glistening in her sun streaked hair. He thought it beautiful, despite traces of dried blood from her accident the night before. The different colors of auburn, blond, and gold, all perfectly glowing in harmony with one another had him spellbound.

"Am I in danger? I mean, I don't think _you'd _want to harm me, but what has brought me to this place? What's _in_ this place? I don't think I belong here, but I don't feel _unwanted_...I'm in another country! I didn't fly on a plane, take a taxi, or walk...I simply showed up. I must be dreamin'. Am I dead? Is this heaven? Is this hell? I know I haven't taken any drugs..."

"I cannot offer you an explanation, Miss Katie Miss. Once again, I assure you I will do my absolute best to help you return to your life." He started to put his hands reassuringly on her shoulders, but shyly retracted them, and backed away from her. She did not see his actions because her attention was now on the large man repairing a small shack that had apparently been damaged by fire.

"Who's that rather large gentleman down there?" She inquired, shoving the last bite of toast into her mouth and licking her fingers.

"That would be Rubeus Hagrid. He teaches _Care of Magical Creatures._ He is a good man," he said, still marveling at her hair.

"Ya'll sure do have some funny lookin' critters around here…look at that big _chicken_ down there!" She said jokingly, referring to Buckbeak.

"That is a Hippogriff," offered Snape with a half smile, enjoying her playful ignorance.

Turning to him, she said, "So, um. Thank you…for bein' so understandin'. I really do appreciate it. I've been through a lot in the past few months and now…this." She smiled as she lightly touched him on the arm.

His heart raced when she touched him. Speechless, he quickly glanced away, blushing. Mustering the courage to acknowledge her words, he replied, clearing his throat. "The pleasure is all mine."

He disappeared into the bath and returned within seconds. Lifting the right side of his mouth, he attempted to smile. "Your bath is ready. I must ask you to not leave these quarters while I am out. You are safe in here, but I fear you may find yourself in danger without an escort. There are books on the shelves, if you like to read, and fruit on the trolley, should you become hungry. I will be back later when my duties are fulfilled for the day." He put his hand on the door handle, pulled it open, and said, "Have a nice soak."

Katie helplessly watched the heavy arched door close behind him and heard the clicks of several locks from the outside. Rushing over to try the door, she realized she was locked in. Rather than panic, she enjoyed the obscure sense of safety and security that he and his quarters seemed to offer.

_"When my duties as headmaster are fulfilled,_" she mocked, in her lowest voice, doing a terrible imitation of a British accent tainted with a southern twinge.

Chapter End Notes:

As always, please leave me some feedback.


	4. Chapter 4 Colors

Colors

Severus Snape went about his day in an unusually cheerful frame of mind, despite being approached with uncomfortable familiarity by bubbling dunderheads who thought him a hero. Somewhat irritated with the compliments, he scowled at them, but had not threatened a single student with a fall detention in all the chaos of herding them to the Hogwarts Express. They scurried around saying goodbye to their friends, but were acutely aware of his abnormally good humor.

Whispers echoed in the hallways, "_Has Snape been drinking some kind of potion? Is Snape on drugs? He creeps me out when he smiles. I liked him better as a complete bastard."_ Snape pretended to ignore the comments by crossing his arms and pinching the bridge of his nose to hide his grin. He wasn't sure why it was all of a sudden so funny to him that the students hated him on so many levels. However, his patience grew thin and was ready to be rid of them so that he could return to his quarters to see the beautiful Miss Katie Miss.

She walked into the bathroom and immersed her aching body into what she thought looked like a mini swimming pool full of hot, sudsy water. It smelled of lavender and she felt calm as the warm water covered her head. She swam to the middle of the pool, allowing her body to float weightlessly, free of the restraints of reality. Opening her eyes, she was in awe of an abstract stained glass window in the ceiling as it threw a pinkish glow of color throughout the room. Any part of her that ached had stopped when she felt the fragrant soapy water wash away all doubt and sadness that she held within her.

Floating on her back, she began to hum lightly. The resonance in the room picked up the low volume of her voice and carried it to all corners of the room. She began testing the acoustics by vocalizing, ma meh mi mo moo, getting louder on the ascent of the pitch. The sound bounced around as if she were yelling into a long tunnel with just the right amount of reverberation. Standing in the middle of the pool, letting her arms float, she began singing an aria from _La Boheme._ It was part of her repertoire that she would never sing publicly due to her utter lack of confidence in her upper register. As she sang, the notes became effortless and of pure quality. She stopped to listen to the resounding high note fading slowly as it disappeared through the solid stone walls.

Standing in the middle of the bath, her eyes were wide open, satisfied with the sounds she made. "Damn! I sound good!" she gasped with a laugh.

Katie continued bathing, and without thinking, easily sang the entire aria. The sunlight grew brighter and stronger through the stained glass window as vivid rainbows sprang forth from nowhere into liquid ribbons of satin, floating all around her. She was enchanted by all the colors as she continued to sing. Delightfully laughing, she realized she was unexpectedly overjoyed with relief and happiness for no apparent reason. She thought she could have ended up in worse places than this, or dead.

As she sang joyfully, the dying potted plant on the basin came to life as little strips of prisms broke away from the larger ribbons, wrapping around the base of the pot. As she watched, the stalk bloomed into an enormous red tropical flower. Staring at the vivid crimson color, she decided to not fight this unusual dream she thought she was having. _Why not enjoy it for as long as it lasts? I'll wake up soon enough._

Katie continued swimming while she sang through her entire operatic repertoire. The room was saturated with vibrant rainbows and the ribbons began escaping through the crack under the door, into the office, and out into the hall.

Much to his relief, Snape watched the Hogwarts Express finally depart, taking away the students to give him a much needed break away from them. He rushed back to the castle to find Katie. Climbing the steps of the tower to his chambers, he heard the most beautiful music he had ever in his life heard. It was different from the Phoenix song, in that it took form, and flowed down the stairs in bands of liquid colors, reminding him of rainbows. He was compelled to listen and breathe in the colors conjured from the voice. From his depths came unexpected and unfamiliar senses of euphoria and joy.

He followed the trail of colorful sound to his chambers. His knees were weak, and the euphoric feeling coursing through him implored his desire for her as if he had taken a potent love potion. It was the strongest feeling of erotic craving he had ever experienced. Embarrassed, he secretly enjoyed the erotic feelings brought on by her song. Taking two empty vials from his desk drawer, he filled them with the noisy colors for further study. He corked them and placed them safely out of sight on a shelf behind other odd shaped bottles of potions.

"Are you still soaking?" he asked, timidly peeking through the cracked door, "I should have told you that once you enter the bath the enchantments keep the water warm and allow you to continue relaxing without a sense of time. You have been in there all day." He could not see her for the rainbows filling the room.

He was standing just outside the door, intoxicated by the sound of her voice, and quite unsure how to calm the mysterious feeling that was sweeping over him. Placing his back against the cold stone wall, he spread his fingers, pressing his hands flat against it, finding cool relief under his sweating palms. Looking at the ceiling, he closed his eyes, and exhaled in rapture. Not knowing or understanding what he heard or how he felt, he welcomed the reprieve from the past week of his life as he eagerly waited for Katie to come out of the bath.

"It feels like I just got in," she said, splashing water as she swam to the steps. "I'm completely wrinkled!" she laughed, reaching for a towel. "What's for dinner?"

Swallowing heard, his voice broke as he answered, "Anything you could possibly want!" He groaned at the sound of his own shaky voice, not moving, allowing the effects of the colorful occurrence to subside. He noticed that her southern drawl was not as prominent when she was calm.

Katie flung open the door, almost hitting him, but he put his hands up in time to catch it. Oblivious to him, she padded past wearing the black cloak he had loaned to her. It dragged the ground several feet and the sleeves fell significantly past her hands. Plopping down on the sofa, she folded one leg underneath her body and left the other one dangling over the edge. Gathering the excess fabric, she pulled the tail of the cloak over her knee to cool off. She rolled up the sleeves of the cloak to free her hands and dried her hair with the fluffy towel.

"That was the most amazing bath of my life! I think it was so good I could name it!" she quirked, leaning her head back on the plump sofa, "I feel soooo relaxed!" She sighed, exhaling audibly.

Still standing behind the door, he pushed it quietly closed, and shambled slowly toward the chair across from where she was sitting, studying her. The hypnosis of her song still had him at a loss for words, making him weak in the knees, and her innocent way of talking further pleased and aroused his interest in her.

He said silkily, "I was under the impression your talents were focused on the piano." Sinking into the chair, he half smiled, "You have a magnificent singing voice."

Covering her face with both hands, she blushed red. "Oh, shit! Now I'm really embarrassed!" Letting her hands fall into her lap, she glanced at him, blushing in waves. "I have studied voice, but I didn't mean for anyone to hear me! ...But thank you for the compliment. It is very much appreciated."

Staring into space, he spoke in a soft, baritone voice, "I have never heard music that heartfelt and appealing. Strange...I feel as though I want to cry with some type of relief. Perhaps it is simply the strain of recent events that have taken my emotions beyond their limits. It is I who should be embarrassed."

Roughly wiping his eyes, he turned his head to look at her, trying to make sense of her power. He could not take his eyes away from her stunning face, nor her exposed bare leg that escaped from under the cloak. She was full of questions, but trusting of him, and she was no longer distressed about her situation. However, the more he thought, he began to question the way he felt, and became certain she had cast a spell on him that secretly seduced him into a hedonistic state of mind. Losing control of his emotions did not humor Severus Snape, nor did his unexplainable attraction to her, causing him to feel like a blundering idiot. Leaning on the edge of his seat, he pierced her with his black, hollow eyes.

Without blinking, he said in a stern, deep voice, "Where did you learn to cast that spell?"

Stretching her arms over her head, she yawned with her mouth completely open, "whaaat're you talkin' about?"

Rising from his chair, interrogating her with his midnight eyes, he dropped his voice to a grave tone that was sure to coerce. Now irritated, his voice became louder on each syllable, creasing his brows. "The music...The colors...The way it overtook me! How did you do it and where did you learn it?"

She put both feet defensively on the floor and leaned forward, placing her hands on both of her exposed knees, and answered him defensively, "I don't know what you mean...there's so much weird _shit _goin' on 'round here that I didn't..." She decided to back down and try to explain, given his growing suspicion of her innocence. Exhaling, she changed her tone of voice to a less forceful one, "I thought the color was part of the magic of the bath. The acoustics were great in there and I sang because it felt good and the high notes came easy." Shrinking under his unwavering glare, she asked, "Did ah do somethin' wrong?" Her eyes, round and guiltless, waited nervously for his answer.

Prying quickly into her mind, he found it screened and protected with colorful lava of every hue imaginable. Muggle minds were often cluttered with excess nothingness, but hers was fascinating in its kaleidoscope of quickly changing patterns. Finding nothing incriminating during his silent scan, he was certain she didn't have a clue as to what was happening to her, but he saw her childlike trust of him as he withdrew from her head.

"No," he replied, perplexed, "you have done nothing wrong." Relaxing back into his chair, he added, "I believe you are hiding nothing from me." He continued to study her as she comically twisted her hair into a turban with the towel.

Dusk was settling in, casting a deep amber glow through the open windows. The cool late spring evening air drifted in, chilling the room. Snape felt the draft and silently crossed to close the windows. He looked over the grounds, appreciating the rebuilding efforts of the elves and allowed himself the reverie of being alive without having to constantly be on guard.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, he turned around, pulling his wand from his cloak, and commanded, "Incendio!" A glowing ball of yellow light sprang from the tip of his wand and flew across the room to the fireplace, splashing orange and blue flames on the logs.

Katie flinched at his sudden intonation and gripped the seat of the sofa as if she was falling. Her eyes were wide open and he saw the sphere of fire illuminating in her eyes as it shot across the room. Secretly enjoying a certain power over her, he was certain she would run for the door in another attempt to escape

Sitting still as she gazed into the flames, she tilted her head to the side, looking as though it was the first time she had ever seen fire. Dryly, she said, "Beats the hell outta matches."

Arching an eyebrow, he lifted one side of his mouth, amused at her reaction, and was flattered that she now seemed comfortable in his presence.

Turning her eyes toward him, she watched him intently as he put his wand back into his cloak. Remembering the blue light pointing at her the night before, she realized it was not a gun, and that he had only pointed it at her in self defense. It was then that she considered the fact that she was just as much a mystery to him as he was to her.

She watched his long, capable fingers routinely unfasten the clasp of his cloak and remove the black, flowing garment from his broad shoulders. He felt the weight of her eyes scrutinizing his frame, but he did not turn around. Instead, he took time to carefully fold his cloak, hoping she would find something in the room more interesting to study. Placing his folded cloak on top of his desk, he took in a deep breath, and turned around.

Brushing off the sleeves of his jacket on his way back across the room to the sitting area, he was keenly aware that her gaze had not moved from him. It was a look that made him uncomfortable, but he was electrified by his desire to submit to her scrutiny. Stirring the fire, he felt the tingling force of her eyes monitoring his every move, and the heat from the fire accelerated the blushing of his skin. _She cannot possibly be looking at me in that manner,_ he thought, _Is she still afraid of me or is she considering me... romantically?_ That possibility made his breath hitch in his throat.

Too self-conscious and helplessly drawn to her, he _had_ to peer into her mind with a quick Legilimens to find out her thoughts before he could continue with the evening. Certain that she would have no idea of his presence in her thoughts, he penetrated a shallow layer of her subconscious. He saw a type of light show with the most beautiful music playing in the forefrong that spun a kaleidoscope of designs with mirror images of him in every round speck of color. He felt welcome, as if she wanted him to see inside her mind and bring him along on a journey of loving and living life. Whispers echoed as he withdrew , _He is mysteriously handsome...I love the black he's wearing. He is safe. I like him. I trust him. Geez! I look like shit! My thighs are too fat!_

Pulling out of her mind, he turned around to see her fidgeting with the towel on her head. Thinking he could grab a quick glance at her thighs, he was disappointed to find that she had already completely covered them with the cloak. He plopped down onto the cushy chair across from her, and sank into its softness, finding himself at a loss for words. They sat in silence, watching the fire until it was the only light in the room.

Katie's southern twang broke the silence, "Ah'm so hungry ah could eat the ass end out of a cow."

Snape did not take his eyes away from the fire, but contemplated the image of her statement. Surprising himself, he snickered, "Would you not prefer a steak dinner with all the trimmings?"

She laughed heartily as he chuckled. His chuckle turned into a belly laugh, and she thought it sounded as if it hurt him to laugh, making it funnier to her.

They stuffed themselves on roast chicken and mashed potatoes. After finishing her meal, she neatly folded her napkin onto her plate and moved to sit on the sofa, removing the towel turban from her hair. She fluffed her locks with her fingers, making it look wild, and searched her bag for her hairbrush.

Dragging the brush through her locks, she asked, "Will you give me the grand tour of this place tomorrow? As interestin' as this room is, I'm afraid I'll go ape shit crazy sittin' in here all day."

Resting his fork on the edge of his plate, Snape contemplated her request while he watched her groom the tangled mess on her head. Pushing back his chair, he approached her and pretended seriousness, "Tomorrow I shall take you around the grounds. You should prepare yourself... for the _unexpected._"

"In case you haven't noticed, Severus, I'm the queen of the unexpected!" she joked, tossing the hairbrush into her bag.

Joining her in the sitting area, he raised an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. Returning to the chair across from her, he observed the buffered lights of the fireplace dance on her face. Her expression was one of melancholy and reflection. It appeared she was watching a memory play out in the fire, unaware that he was looking at her.

"My final piano recital is two weeks away. If I miss it I will not graduate. I'm also worried that if I do get back for it, there won't be many people there. Well, I'll have an audience, I suppose, 'cause the instructors require music majors to attend as part of their grade. I don't have a lot of friends 'cause I just don't socialize anymore. Most of the friends I had either graduated or quit. My life has been practice, practice, practice. It's been all about this damn recital. If it wasn't my last requirement I'd prob'ly just call it off." She looked further into the fire. "When I think of all the staff parties I played free of charge and all the vocal students I freely accompanied for their recitals. There really is no justice in the world. Why can't they just give me that damn piece of paper? They've heard my repertoire many times." She smiled, knowing it was absurd to think they would just hand it to her.

He listened intently, wanting to know everything about her, allowing her to talk uninterrupted. Just the melodic sound of her voice was pleasing enough, but he was captivated by her gregarious demeanor.

"How large an audience do you require to perform?" he asked.

She laughed, "It doesn't matter how many people are there, really. The problem is that there are only two people I want to be there, but they can't." Her eyes filled with tears, but she wiped them before they fell, and shared a memory with him. "I remember my mother tyin' a red satin bow in my hair before my first piano recital when I was six years old. ...She told me to do my best, and I did. I was so nervous...my hands were shakin'... I was _horrible,_ but my parents thought I was the best one there. My dad embarrassed me when he tossed a huge bouquet of flowers onto the stage." She laughed at the memory through bittersweet tears.

Snape was listening to her with the eagerness of a small child being read the most wonderful book. He was fascinated by hearing her story; especially since his childhood had not been a happy one and he suddenly felt the sad pang of fresh absences in his own life. Not wanting to divulge any information regarding his recent past, he waited for her to continue, but saw tears glistening down her cheeks.

"Other than your present situation of being stranded here, what makes you so very sad?" he asked in a soft, low voice, "I saw your laughter turn to sorrow so suddenly."

"They're both deceased...my father was killed three months ago...I just don't want to talk about it any more right now. I'm really sorry. I can't help crying these days. It just happens and I can't seem to stop it." The tears escaped her attempts to wipe them away as they came too quickly and splashed onto the front of the borrowed oversized robe.

He felt a strangely familiar, overpowering need to comfort and hold her. They were both grieving for people they missed and he felt a strong need to sit next to her to comfort one another, but his feelings of inadequacy held him back. Instead, he handed her a tissue and poured two shots of Firewhiskey. Offering the tumbler to her, he hoped she would continue talking.

She accepted the glass and held it in front of her face, watching the liquid fire dancing within it. Studying it only for a moment, she put the glass to her lips and tossed the liquid into her mouth without grimacing. She licked her lips and held up her glass for another shot. He hesitated, but obliged, waiting intently to see if she would actually drink it. She put it to her lips, tossed it into her mouth, and wiped her mouth on her sleeve, smiling devilishly at him. Slamming the tumbler upside down on the table, she jumped to her feet, threw her fists in the air, and yelled, "Hotty Toddy!"

He was stunned at her sudden outburst, and he sat motionless, impressed that he had never witnessed anyone take two shots of Firewhisky back to back with such ease. Thinking that shooting whisky was a sporting event to her, he was invigorated by her enthusiasm.

"That's really good shit!" she exclaimed and fell into an infectious fit of inebriated laughter.

"I assure you, Katie Miss," he paused, taking another shot. He winced and squeezed his eyes shut until the burn subsided. Imitating her southern drawl, "This is not shee-it. This is Ogden's Old Firewhiskey." He laughed openly and landed on his chair, enjoying the warming sensation of the alcohol.

Tossing back her head, screaming with laughter, she was delighted at his attempt to speak southern, and clapped her hands in applause. "That was pretty good...next thing you know I'll have you eatin' grits and sloppin' the hawgs!"

He thought she was radiant when she laughed, and he liked himself while with being with her. She allowed him the freedom of being the man she knows nothing about, unpolluted of mistakes and darkness. Feeling as though he had a clean slate, he was safe to laugh with her, and felt content in his personal space, as well as hers.

"Tell me about being from the south, as you call it," he requested.

"Well, we've pretty much got two types of people. On one hand, we got rednecks, and then there's everybody else."

"Red necks?" He said the words separately, enunciating properly all the consonants, his speech a bit lazy with Firewhiskey.

She overacted seriousness, as if the answer to his question would be a grave one. "Ok. I'll explain," she slurred, "but remember...you asked me this question. I can't be held responsible if you can't handle it."

"I will take my ch-chances," he hiccupped.

She tried to think of a dictionary explanation to sound intelligent. Clearing her throat, she began, "Ahem! A redneck is generally someone who...is an uneducated worker; usually in the field of farming; with _incestuous _ties; is often a bigot; is lacking class or sophistication, and frequently boasts this to people of their own kind. For example, Mr. Foxworthy says, "You might be a redneck if you can yell to your Mom, 'Hey, Aunt Betty! Or...If your idea of loadin' the dishwasher is gettin' your wife drunk. _Or_ if you've ever been too drunk to fish."

Snape was holding his head in his hands, bending over, laughing so hard he slipped out of his chair. Katie laughed harder when she heard his body thump onto the thick rug. They laughed hysterically until they were both out of breath.

He attempted to pull himself out of the floor, but was too tipsy, so he just lay on his back. Katie threw a pillow to him from the sofa and slid down the back of it sideways, curling up on her side. His laughter wound down and he regained his composure by taking a long, deep breath, and exhaled, sighing loudly. He put the pillow behind his head and clasped his hands underneath, listening to the crackle of the dying fire.

Katie's voice broke the silence. "_Or_ if the most commonly heard phrase at your sister's wedding is, 'What're _you_ lookin' at, shithead?" She couldn't see him over the coffee table, but heard him start laughing again. "I watch too much TV," she said, her face muffled in a pillow.

Snape remained on his back, enjoying the soft, ancient rug underneath his body, but gave in to another fit of laughter as it overtook him. Wiping the tears away from his eyes, he stared at the ceiling, occasionally chuckling as he came down from a foreign euphoric feeling of happiness.

Calm and content, the wizard spoke in a voice just above a whisper, "I have laughed more with you tonight than I have in almost twenty years. I find that I...I truly fancy your company." The words easily came from his mouth without intending to speak aloud his thoughts, and he waited desperately for her to say something, but she did not.

He rose up onto his elbow to find her eyes closed and her breathing shallow and even. She slept with her bottom leg stretched out and her top leg bent at the knee, exposing her entire leg through the side slit in the cloak. He noticed at the top of the slit, she was white where her swimming garment usually covered her.

Pulling himself up by bracing one hand on his chair and the other on the coffee table, he grunted, feeling heavy with the effects of the potent alcohol. Holding his arms out for balance, he swayed a few steps toward the sleeping temptress in order to steal a closer look at her sleeping form. He thought of how incredibly charming and silly she was wearing his cloak. He wanted so much to slide the cloak over her hips to see what she had hidden underneath, and was delighted when she flopped over onto her stomach, sloppily uncovering her lower half.

She wore a bright neon pink stretchy swimsuit in place of undergarments that rode up, exposing a small line of milky white skin on her lower buttocks. He judged her thighs to be thick only with muscles and not at all as he had heard in her mind. He stared at the perfect definition of the line marking the tan from the white on her round bottom, and could not keep his fingers from lightly tracing it. A rash of chillbumps rose on her skin where his touch had been. Pulling back his hand, he was afraid of being discovered, so he spread an afghan over her, embarrassed, but satisfied with what he had seen.

"I do not know who you are or where you came from, but I am glad you are here on my couch," he whispered, softly caressing her face. He staggered to his bed and fell onto it face down, passing out with a smile on his face.

Chapter End Notes:

Please leave a review! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5 The Morning After

The Morning After

Snape awoke early the next morning and left her sleeping peacefully on the sofa. As he exited through the stone gargoyle, he met Professor McGonagall approaching, carrying a suitcase and an umbrella. He stopped abruptly, nervously clasping his hands behind his back, standing at attention.

"Severus, I came to tell you that I'm taking my leave for summer vacation. I shall be visiting my sister in Romania if you should need me." She studied his face, sensing something different about him. "Severus, are you feeling alright?" She asked, concerned as a friend. "I can stay so you won't be alone. Madam Pomfrey dismissed all the patients this morning and left for London. I think I should stay. You've been through so much and..."

Interrupting her, he mustered much fabricated patience. "By all means go visit your sister, Minerva! I wouldn't dream of keeping you here. The peace and quiet offered while everyone is away will help me to feel much better." Clasping his hands behind his back, he stood with an unavoidable smugness about him.

She observed his very odd behavior with uncertainty. His usual demeanor was a short temper and he always seemed to be hoarding a dark secret of which no one really wanted to know. However, he looked rested and younger, and the deep lines in his face were almost gone, leaving his skin flushed and healthier than usual. He seemed happy and this unnerved her.

"Well, Hagrid will be here," she reassured, still eying him. She started to leave, but remembered the music from the day before. "Yesterday I heard the most beautiful singing voice coming from this direction. I assumed you were..."

"Testing a new potion," he interjected, curtly cutting her off.

"I see." She replied, feeling relieved that a trace of his usual short temper had returned. "I hope it turns out to your satisfaction. Well, then, I'll be off." She clutched her bag and umbrella as she disapperated with a pop.

He needed to make his rounds on the grounds before returning to his chambers, but decided to do them as he took Katie on a tour. His first stop before waking her was to the kitchen. Hearing him approach, the house elves became animated, polishing silverware, cleaning the ovens, and cooking. Winky, an unusually sad female, timidly stood in front of him mustering the courage to speak.

"Well," he commanded, "do you have something you want to say? Let me hear it!"

"W-would M-Master and his guest prefer breakfast served in his quarters?" She looked at the floor after she spoke.

"You are not to mention a guest! She is not my guest! You are to tell no one nor speak of this, do you understand? That goes for the lot of you!" He extended his long arm and pointed his pale finger at all of them.

"As y-you wish. Winky only wishes to serve Master well," she said, ready to cry.

"Well then, I will take it in my chambers, but I will carry it up, myself." Clasping his hands in front of him, he prepared to wait for to give him the tray.

He had hardly finished speaking, when they placed in his hands a silver tray filled with juice, pastries, coffee, tea, and a colorful bouquet of spring flowers.

"Well done," he mumbled, examining the contents of the tray. He turned and quickly made his way to the tower.

After his compliment, the house elves stopped what they were doing and stared at him as he walked away. When he was out of the kitchen they looked at one another as if they were confused.

Breaking the silence, Winky's eyes teared up with disbelief. "Master was pleased!" At her revelation, the house elves broke into a celebration of applause. A compliment from Snape was rare and they were now ready to work even harder to please him.

Snape ceremoniously entered his chambers, carrying the tray at chest level, pushing the door closed behind him with his foot. The slam caused Katie to jump and wake suddenly. He sat the tray on the small dining table in front of the great windows and opened the curtains, letting in the sunlight.

"Good morning! I hope you rested well," he said musically, setting the table.

She slowly sat up, squinting her eyes from the glare of the sun, using her hand as a visor. Her hair was a tangled mess and she was pale with an imprint of her wristwatch on her face from having slept on it all night long. She smelled the food and ran into the bathroom while clutching her hand over her mouth.

Hearing the echos of her violently coughing and heaving in the bathroom, he abandoned his task of serving coffee and quickly poured a glass of pumpkin juice. Grabbing a bottle of potion from the shelf behind his desk, he poured it in and swished the juice around. Hesitating in front of the bathroom door, he entered without announcing, and saw her kneeling in front of the toilet, gripping on to it as she hacked.

"I think I'm dyin'," she said sadly into the toilet. "Just kill me now. _Please_."

"Drink this. It will make you feel much better." He spoke with a voice of experience and offered the glass to her with a towel.

Wiping her mouth with the towel, she flushed the toilet, and sat on the floor, leaning against the cool stone wall. She didn't ask what it was, but drank every drop as quickly as possible. Hoping to keep down the pumpkin juice concoction, she leaned her head back, and exhaled slowly.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said, embarrassed, wiping her eyes. "Thanks. I really _do_ feel better!"

Taking her hand, he pulled her out of the floor. "I gave you my secret hangover potion. I discovered it out of desperation after my first shot of Firewhisky. No one other than myself has ever taken it."

"Thanks for sharing! You should market that stuff! I know a lotta people who'd buy it." She said, seriously.

"Do you feel like eating?" He asked, ignoring her suggestion.

"Yea, but I gotta pee first. Do you mind?"

"Pee?" He had no idea what she meant.

She nodded toward the toilet.

Flushing pink, he gasped, "Oh, yes, yes, certainly" and quickly exited, closing the door behind him.

He was already seated when she came out, but he rose and walked around the table, pulling out her chair, waiting for her to sit. "How are you feeling now, Katie Miss?"

She hesitated a few paces away from where he stood. No one had ever gone as far as to hold the door for her, much less pull out her chair for her,

"Wow! A true gentleman!" She said jokingly. Waiting until he was seated, she asked, "Um...why do you keep calling me Katie _Miss_?"

"Isn't _Miss_ your last name? You have it on your clothing as well as your bag."

She looked at her bag leaning against the end of the sofa and began to laugh. "You thought..._Ole Miss.._." she continued laughing. "That's the name of my school!" She was laughing loudly. She saw that he was looking away, blushing. Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand. "That's funny, Severus, you are so _cute_!"

Glancing at his hand as she touched it, he lifted his eyes to hers. The morning sun spotlighted her face, the golden glow of her healthy tanned skin was an artist's canvass for her striking features, and he could not take his eyes away from her. Her hair was bobbed to her jawline, and disheveled from having fallen asleep on it wet, and he felt a strong urge to bury his nose in it to smell it and feel its softness and texture. Her wide smile showcased her gleaming straight teeth that drew his attention to her lips. A vivid fantasy played in his mind that he would swipe everything from the table with his right arm, and crawl across it, fisting her hair in his hands, and pulling her into fierce kiss, but he did not act upon his impulses. Instead, he quickly looked away, certain his thoughts had been shouting audible syllables by the unguarded gaping of his mouth. Biting his lips, he nervously busied himself buttering a piece of dry toast, but he dropped the butter knife, sounding loudly as it clinked on the china plate below. He was startled, but Katie simply smiled, obviously stifling a giggle.

"Severus Snape, my name is Katie Lee Hawkins. I'm pleased to meet you." Extending her right hand across the table to him, she waited sincerely for him to take it.

He took her hand for a firm handshake, but what he got in return was a jolt of electricity running from his knees, to his groin, up his spine, and all the way to the finger prints on the hand that touched hers. Quickly recovering from the pleasure of her simple touch, he enjoyed the confident grip of her greeting, and he responded with a very even, melodic baritone, "The pleasure is all mine".

She tilted her head, still smiling. She did not release right away and neither did he. Their eyes locked and he was staring again. He did not protest as he felt the weight of her eyes studying him. He broke eye contact by looking away, allowing her searching green eyes to violate every crease on his face. He felt exposed, but safe with her innocent curiosity. She gave a final shake and gracefully withdrew her hand.

"Severus, I get the feelin' you don't have many visitors." She talked and took a bite of pastry.

"Why would you think that?" He said coolly.

"It's prob'ly just a British thing, but you seem very shy." She offered him a pleasant smile.

She was right. He never had guests for socializing. In fact, he had never experienced true lasting friendship or love at any point in his life. No one had ever looked at him the way she just did. His hands were trembling as he took a sip of tea. He glanced at her, hoping she did not notice them as he placed them in his lap, and tried to relax.

"Thank you for helpin' me. I...I shouldn't be here, but you have been a true gentleman." She looked at him once more with a sincerity that confirmed her trust in him.

Feeling his face flush in waves of hot tingles, he found himself once more staring longingly at her.

Taking another bite of pastry, she asked, "What is a _Muggle_? She said the word as if it would stick in her mouth.

"It is a non magic person," he replied, with no emotion.

"Oh," she said, taking another bite, "is that _bad_?"

"No," he said reassuringly, not wanting to tell her about the prejudice that exists in the magical world against Muggles. They had not been welcome in the past by certain wizards, but he could not bring himself to spoil a perfect moment with a long explanation of what he knew to be the disturbing truth.

"Could I trouble you for something?" she asked, in earnest.

"Anything." Placing his hands flat on the table, he gave her his full attention.

"Your robe is comfortable, but I would _love_ a change of clothes. I'll feel kinda uncomfortable walkin' 'round here all day wearin' this," she said, holding up her arm with the sleeve hanging over her hand.

"You are absolutely right. I had your clothes laundered. You will find them folded neatly next to the sink in the bath." He took his last bite of pastry and leaned back in his chair. Looking out the window, he saw a perfect late spring day getting its start over the green grass of the grounds.

"I'm just gonna go freshen up a bit and get dressed. Thanks for a wonderful breakfast. I'll be right back," she said, scooting back, clumsily causing the chair to make a grinding noise as it slid across the stone floor.

He stood as she got up and watched her move. The robe she had on was so long it looked as if she were floating across the floor. Her messy hair bounced merrily as she jogged into the bathroom. A wave of eagerness swept over him when he realized they would spend the day together alone on the grounds. He could not wait to share his world with her.

A sudden thought stopped his elation at once: W_hat if she became frightened and withdrawn seeing things she had always been taught not to believe in. Worse yet, what if she found out about his past? _

He glanced at the unopened envelope that had come the day before. Sitting at his desk, he placed the letter in front of him. It was from the Ministry of Magic. _It is probably announcing a meeting,_ he thought. He wondered how he could get out of it. He simply could not leave Katie alone while he was not present on the grounds. No Ministry meeting was ever over in less than three hours time. Crossing his arms, he stared at the letter and tried to think of options. Sliding open the drawer in the right side of the desk, he tossed in the unopened letter, and slammed it shut.

"Screw it," he hissed.

Katie emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was in place and she was dressed in her Muggle clothes. She bounded over to him and hopped up onto his desk, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Ok, Severus, I can't wait to see this place!" She said as though she was asking for the most wonderful Christmas present. Her curiosity and energy overwhelmed him, but not as much as her body on his desk. The hole in her jeans exposed her tan knee and he looked away, flushing, as soon as he saw it, feeling guilty about touching her while she slept.

Nervously rising from his chair, he walked around the desk, and accidentally knocked a glass bottle of ink onto the floor.

Katie ran to the table for a napkin to clean up the mess, but he pointed at it with his wand, "Scourgify!" The dripping black liquid disappeared just as she reached down to wipe it up.

"Damn! Can you teach me how to do that?" She ran her fingers where the mess had been and she looked at him, impressed.

He held the door and she tossed the unused linen napkin onto his desk, happily bounding past him into the corridor. She stopped in the corridor, watching him curiously as he flicked his wand, and spoke commands to ward the door. The sound of the stone door grinding open at the bottom of the stairwell startled her and she froze in place. He took her hand and guided their descent as the steps began rotating with a grind, twisting downward to the opening. The heavy gargoyle statue rotated, closing behind them.

She pointed at it in awe and gasped, "Did you _see_ that?" She looked at him to share this first time experience.

Snape smiled, tugged at his robes to straighten them, and then happily offered his arm to Katie. "Shall we go?"


	6. Chapter 6 Merpeople

A/N: Please keep in mind that this is purely in fun, all mistakes are my own, and I am a Snape freak.

Merpeople

Linking her arm around his, he clasped her hand with his other. They walked arm in arm until they were outside the great door on the front steps of the castle. She held on to him, following his lead as they strolled across the grounds toward the lake. As they made their way through the trees into the clearing, Katie released his arm and she walked to the water's edge, breathing in the breathtaking view. The lake looked like an ocean, protected by heaping, green mountains and crevasses, reflecting perfectly in the mirror of the lake's surface.

Snape gave her a moment to survey the landscape. "In this lake you will find life forms you have never imagined. Some are harmless and some are fatal. Although it is beautiful, you must respect it and not be too curious while..." His narrative was interrupted by the noisy bubbling of hundreds of Merpeople rising to the surface.

Katie backed away from the lake, moving behind Snape. Frightened, she clasped his shoulder, but she did not run away.

"These are Merpeople and they are curious about you, Katie," he said, calmly. "They know you are not of the magical world and may see you as a threat. Stay behind me."

He spoke to the moving water in a bizarre language that sounded almost like screeching. There were unseen giggles as a green, scaly hand emerged from the water, holding a trident with a bracelet hanging from it made of seashells and pearls. "Go ahead, Katie, they want to give you a gift. It is safe."

Katie loosened her grip on Snape's cloak and walked slowly to the edge of the water.

Kneeling, she accepted the gift carefully, wrapping her fingers around it. "Thank you...it...it's beautiful." She did not see to what or whom she had spoken, but she instead saw a greenish-blue tail flipper turning over. It splashed her as it quickly swam away, she froze in place, dripping wet.

Snape clapped his hands and laughed out loud. Katie gave him a playful, dirty look and she began laughing, as well. Dripping wet, she shook the water out of her hair as much as possible as she turned toward Snape. He saw the transparent white knit against her skin, exposing the outline of her bright pink undergarment. Blushing, he quickly looked away, but he felt a tinge of strange excitement bolt throughout his body.

She pulled the t-shirt away from her chest when she saw his eyes land there. "Don't worry! You didn't see nothin'! It's only my swimsuit! See?" She pulled off her soaked shirt to show him the bright pink garment underneath. He glanced at her as she yanked it over her head, but he covered his eyes, too embarrassed to look. She noticed the pink of his blushing skin and assured him, "I'd been swimmin' before I went to practice the day I got here...It's sorta the only underwear I have with me."

She turned toward the lake, wringing the water out of the wet knit t-shirt. The swimsuit looked like a low cut tank top with a deep scoop in the back that dipped below the waistline of her jeans. He surveyed the indentions of her spine surrounded by the toned feminine muscles resulting from her rigorous work outs. He thought the neon pink color complimented her bronzed skin.

Turning back to face him, she continued to squeeze out the shirt. "It's not like I can run down to the local Wal Mart and...." She was distracted by the perfect pearls on the bracelet.

Touching the smoothness of the pearls, she had an awakening. The bracelet was genuine; something priceless and tangible. Looking up at Snape, she realized he was, indeed a real man with real feelings, and she appreciated the fact that he was a gentleman to her. She found him mysteriously titillating and she became aware of her definite fondness of him. Unknowingly, she spoke with her eyes the thoughts happening in her mind at that moment, and her gaze melted through him, liquefying his solid foundation. Their silent conversation gave him an unexpected reason to be alive, but his elation was brought to a halt when they were suddenly distracted by a giant splash in the water.

A mammoth size tentacle emerged from the wake, grabbing Katie around the waist. It plucked her from the edge, and submerged into the Dark Lake in a mere half a second. Snape ran to the edge of the water, reaching for his wand, but it wasn't there. He looked across the top of the water but saw no trace of Katie. Tossing his cloak to the ground with abandon, he plunged headfirst into the lake to find her.

Searching the lake bottom for any sign of her, his clothing became saturated, and it weighted him down as he struggled frantically to swim and find her. He found the top of the lake and gasped for air, but he felt the painful burn of murky water in his nasal passages. Ignoring it, he coughed and yelled for Katie. Something grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the current before his lungs could fill with oxygen. Opening his eyes, the water was dark and cloudy by the disturbed silt from the lake floor and he could not see through it. He struggled to free himself and he opened his eyes once more, to see Katie floating above him, looking lifeless as her hair floated lazily around her head. Her eyes were open and her arms were extended. He stopped struggling and decided to let himself die with her.

When he opened his eyes again, he was lying in the thick green grass beside the lake in the shade of an ancient Willow tree. Katie was on her knees beside him with her hands pumping his chest. Her hair was wet and matted with weeds from the lake, and her eyes glistened with grave determination and concern. Pinching his nose, she lowered her mouth to his and pushed her breath into his lungs. He began to cough out the lake water and she rolled him onto his side. Katie coached him through every cough and soothed him as he finally found his breath. Hacking violently for several minutes, he was finally able to breathe comfortably

She lay behind him on her side, resting from his near fatal drowning. Caringly, she put her arm over him and squeezed him to her for warmth and comfort. "Oh, Severus," she said, exhaling a cry, "Ah thought ah'd lost you."

He relaxed, indulging in the compassion of her arms, the beating of her heart pounding against his back, and her breath on his ear. He was unexpectedly overwhelmed at the genuine human kindness she offered him. He had never experienced such affection. In fact, it was the first hug he could ever remember someone giving him. Overtaken with emotion, he began to sob silently as memories of his dark past paraded through his mind. Surrendering to her strength and courage, he realized she had saved his life not only from drowning, but from loneliness.

She felt his body shaking from his tears, "Are you _crying_? It's OK now...It's OK now. I'm here..._you're he_r_e_...it's all ok. Everything is _alright_."

She propped up onto her elbow and rubbed his hair. He rolled onto his back and looked into her eyes. She was blurry through his tears, but he could see her sweet face and her comforting gaze. Pulling debris away, she moved his hair away from his face, lightly brushing his forehead with her fingertips. She rendered a congenial smile and she saw her reflection in his yearning black eyes.

"Are you real?" He whispered, dreamily gazing at her.

Caressing his face with the back of her hand, she closed her eyes and lightly touched her lips to his. Feeling her soft, warm breath on his face, he relaxed his arms, closed his eyes, and allowed the moment to happen. His heart raced and his breathing became heavier as he struggled to control the rising and falling of his chest.

"Did that feel real to you?" she whispered, looking into his eyes.

He traced the outline of her lips with his fingers, and he knew he wanted more. Putting his hand on the nape of her neck, he ran his fingers into her hair, and gently pulled her mouth to his, consenting to the pleasure of her affection. Reaching around her with both arms, he folded her in to him, and she relaxed, touching him with every inch of her body length. She brought her knee over his thigh and sighed, her breath tickling the fine hairs on his face.

"Is everyone alright down here?" Hagrid called, as he strode down the path through the trees leading directly to where they lay. He saw them and covered his eyes, immediately turning around. "Ohh. So sorry, then. I'll just be on me way."

Snape let go of Katie and jumped to his feet, pulling his long coat together in a failing effort to regain his dignity. Dazed from the kiss, he stood rigidly at attention, awkward as a child who had been caught doing something he shouldn't. Katie stayed on her side with her back to Hagrid, wondering why Snape let go so suddenly.

"She almost drowned...I had to...Er..." Snape tried to explain, but he couldn't think of an excuse.

Hagrid's eyes were shimmering with laughter, glancing back and forth from Katie to Snape. "Yea, er...good thing you were here." His eyes rested on Katie, who was still lying on her side in the green grass, perfectly healthy. He smiled devilishly at Snape. "_Right_, then." Blushing, he winked at Snape, and strolled away.

Snape's tall stature slumped with his hands at his sides, not knowing what move to make next while he helplessly watched Hagrid stroll out of sight. Looking down at Katie, he saw that she was lying on her back, with her hands over her face. He thought she was crying and he knelt beside her, looking apologetically at her.

"I am sorry, Katie, I should have never brought you here. It was too dangerous. I am a stupid man. I...I...did not expect this to happen." He stuttered, at a loss for words for his own embarrassment. He could see that she was clearly upset about being caught and he assured her that he was the one to blame.

She lowered her hands and rolled onto her side. Peeking through her fingers, she laughed. "We got busted!" He realized she was not crying and he playfully threw a handful of leaves at her. She squealed with delight and threw a handful back at him. They continued laughing as he helped her to her feet.

"How did you escape the Giant Squid? I thought you were..._dead_." His laughter stopped and his voice faded.

"It appears they were impressed with my swimming abilities," she joked, pulling leaves from his hair. "Can't say much about yours, though. Luckily I found your hand and I was able to pull you out. It looked to me like you just gave up."

Dropping her tone, she stopped grooming him and looked intently into his eyes. "Somethin' happened in the water, though." Touching the bracelet, she continued, "They gave me some type of insight or advice without usin' words and they communicated by a type of flute, or song. It was beautiful 'n somehow I understood. They said I was their family... this bracelet is my compass, and I should chose wisely." She put her hand on the bracelet, gazing at the lake water. "I still don't understand what they meant by any of that, but I was never afraid for my life." Turning to face him, she was trembling from the chill of the air blowing through her wet clothing. She rubbed her arms to warm herself. "There is an important message I'm supposed to give you." Looking inquisitively at him, she delivered the message as if asking a question. "They said _they forgive you _and to _thank you_ for what you did." She studied his face, expecting him to explain.

_Dumbledore, _he thought, but did not answer her. The pain in his heart ached as the memory of the Headmaster's final moments played in his head. He searched for a way to explain, but he could not find the words. He was certain she would reject him if she knew the horrible truth of his dark past.

"You have a connection with them." He said, changing the subject as he picked up his cloak from the ground and gave it a shake. "They are usually temperamental, but they were not with you. If you were not a Muggle, I would know exactly how to explain it."

Pulling the cloak around them, he put his arms around her and he hugged her tightly to him. Telling her softly, into her ear, "I feel as though I've known you all my life."

"It's funny, but I was thinkin' the same about you," she sighed, squeezing him. His arms were welcoming and the cloak was warm.

He remembered the intoxicating sound of her song and the way it had made him feel. The wound from Nagini no longer throbbed and he felt energetic, as well as youthful. Not caring how or why she existed in his world, he welcomed her attraction, and he wanted his time with her to be memorable.

"I don't think Hagrid will mention this to anyone if I ask him not to. He is trustworthy," Snape commented.

"Does it _matter_ that anyone saw us together?" She quizzed. He didn't answer right away, so she let go of him and stepped out of the cloak. "Are you _ashamed_ of me? You don't want to be seen with me? Is it because I'm a Muggle? I know I don't belong here, but I don't want to be your dirty little secret, either!" She spoke in a stage whisper, through dark, green watery eyes. "Sooner or later it's gonna come out!"

"It may not be safe for you...I am...was...a misanthrope with no human ties to anyone. I still have enemies..." He didn't finish his sentence. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and turned away from her. "You have given me the first physical affection of my life and I would never want you to be hurt." He paused. "I fancy you too much to be a dirty secret. You will never, EVER be that!"

"You mean you've never kissed a girl?" She asked without taunting.

"No." He sighed, "Nor an embrace. Affection has never been a gift afforded to me, not even from my parents."

"Oh, Severus, I had no idea. I'm so sorry." She placed her hand on his back to offer comfort and then she hugged him from behind "Kiss me again."

He wheeled around and gently placed both of his hands on either side of her face. Fixing his eyes on hers, he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, and captured her lower lip between his, closing his eyes. His breathing was broken, nervous, and exciting, and she sighed, lightly pulling his upper lip between hers to accept his advances. She slid her arms around his waist and melted into his grasp.

The wind picked up, bringing a chill to their already soaked skin. Thunder crashed in the distance, and dark, angry clouds rolled in a spring storm that blocked the warmth of the sun. Cold droplets of rain began to fall randomly from the sky, but they found refuge in one another, shielded by the cloak, and they did not seem to care until it started pouring down on top of them.


	7. Chapter 7 Hagrid

Hagrid

Snape took Katie's hand, shielding them from the rain with the cloak, as they ran to Hagrid's hut. Snape had never been a regular guest of Hagrid's and felt odd going there, but it was the closest shelter, and the weather was becoming violent. He raised his hand to knock, but Hagrid opened the door and pulled them both inside.

"Get in or ye'll catch yer death o' cold!" He handed them both a towel and turned around to stir the fire, draping Katie's soaked t-shirt on the back of a chair to dry. "Had a feelin' ye might stop by. I've already got the kettle on! Have a seat!" He was excited to have visitors and made a fuss over getting the giant mugs ready to pour hot water over the tea.

Katie looked all the way up to his wiry beard. She came to his elbow and had to lean her head almost all the way back to see his face. The furniture in the room was made to fit Hagrid's giant size and she had to step up to sit down. The chair was so large, her legs dangled, not touching the floor, making her feel like a little girl.

Hagrid's monstrous Boarhound, Fang, was sitting in front of Katie with his paws on her knees, panting as if smiling. He swabbed her face with his tongue as she squinted her eyes and tightly closed her mouth to keep him from licking her teeth. She scratched him playfully behind his floppy ears and he began licking her arm, but she didn't seem to mind.

"He really likes you! He usually _barks _at strangers!" Hagrid said impressed. He poured the hot water into the mugs and placed jars of cream and sugar on the table as Katie continued to giggle and play with Fang. Seating himself across from them, he winked at Snape, remembering catching them snogging by the lake. Snape veered at Hagrid and tightened his lips. Hagrid continued to grin and look at him, as if to say, 'atta boy, Severus, you dog, you.'

Fang curled up under Katie's chair and she scratched his belly until he went to sleep. Snape and Hagrid watched, smiling. Hagrid already liked her because of her apparent care for animals and her mutual affection for Fang. She straightened up and mixed cream and sugar into her steaming hot mug of tea. Despising hot tea, she grimaced as she sipped, making a horrible face as she swallowed. Putting down her mug, she glanced at the men across from her and saw both sets of eyes fixed on her. Snape's head was propped on his hand, grinning as he gazed at her. Hagrid's puffy cheeks blushed red when she discovered them staring at her.

"Whaaat?" she drawled, as she looked innocently at them. Focusing on Hagrid, she laughed jovially. "Say, you're the one who busted us, aren't you?"

"Hagrid," Snape answered without taking his eyes off Katie, gesturing to her, "This is Katie Lee Hawkins from Mississippi." Then he gestured toward Hagrid, "Katie, this is Hagrid"

Hagrid stood and offered his massive hand. She wiped Fang's drool on her jeans and firmly shook his large finger, since his hand was much too large to shake. "It's a pleasure ta meet cha, Hagrid."

Hagrid didn't mind the drool. "Interestin' accent you got there, Katie, er...where exactly _is_ Mississippi?" She seemed familiar to Hagrid, but he didn't ask anything since she was from so far away.

"It's in the southern part of the United States," she said proudly.

"North America," Snape added, still gazing at her through his black glossy eyes.

"Ahh...ok. Never been there, myself. Never had a reason to," said Hagrid. "Not much magic goin' on there, don't s'pose."

"Well," Katie started, "to me it's home and I love it. We've got Magnolia Trees, fried chicken, baseball, southern belles, and wide open spaces. Life moves pretty slow and we ain't in a hurry for nuthin,' bragged Katie proudly.

Hagrid wanted to hear her talk more. He had never heard such a sweet accent. There was an innocent air about the way she spoke. It was almost childlike and uninformed, but Snape and Hagrid could already tell that she was far from stupid.

"Hagrid?" whispered Katie, her voice low, as if she was about to tell him a deep, dark secret. He leaned in to hear it. "Do you have any of that _Fahr_-whiskey?"

"Hmmm," he said, leaning back, turning his head toward Snape, with a playfully reprimanding look, "So! You already_ know_ about that, do ya?"

Snape rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, denying any wrongdoing.

Katie saw what passed between them and played along, "Yea, he got me piss drunk last night and..."

Snape interjected defensively, "I did _nothing_ of the _sort_!"

She laughed gleefully as Hagrid joined her. Snape waved them off and sipped his tea. Hagrid thought it wonderful to see Snape with a woman; especially this woman. She was so easy going compared to his baleful way of being.

"I think I've got somethin' ter drink 'round here somewhers." He pulled a corked jug from the back of a shelf and blew off the dust. Katie waved the dust away from her face as she sneezed. "Sorry 'bout that," He apologized. Haven't been able ter get anythin' ter drink what with the war 'n all...I 'spect the suppliers'll be up an' runnin' b'fore long."

"War?" she inquired with her eyes wide open.

Hagrid realized she had no clue what he was talking about and he looked at Snape to answer. Snape explained how she had come to be in his quarters a few days before when he returned from the hospital. He gave the information to Hagrid, but never talked of the war or how he had ended up in the hospital wing. He was careful to keep Katie away from his past, as he was not willing to risk losing her over certain bygone decisions, no matter how much remorse he continually carried.

"Oh, I'm sorry ter hear 'bout that. If there's anyone in the whole wizarding world that can help you he's sittin' right there." He removed the mugs from the table and reached for the whiskey bottle. Pulling the cork out of the bottle with his teeth, it made a low 'tunk' sound as it popped out. "I've had this here bottle of Elf Whiskey since I came ter Hogwarts as Gamekeeper. Don't know what it'll taste like, but it's a sure bit better'n nothin'!'' He poured them each a full tumbler and sat down again.

Crossing his arms on the table, Hagrid raised his glass for a toast as Snape and Katie followed. He looked into the whiskey, as if to bless it. "Here's ter new friends!"

"Cheers!" Katie returned, and chugged back the red liquid all in one gulp. She looked at the others with a calm grin, wiping her mouth with the back of her arm. She poured herself another jigger, laughing as the others winced and exhaled their air loudly. Snape coughed and sputtered.

"You better go easy on that stuff," Hagrid advised them," It goes to yer head pretty quick.

"I promise to behave...I learned my lesson with the _Fahrwhiskey _last night. I'll just nurse this one." She said menacingly.

The crackling of the fire in the small hut provided a safe and cozy environment to enjoy an amusingly staggering conversation. While the dark clouds outside spat rain and banged thunder, the three of them talked and drank throughout the afternoon. After only two tumblers, however, Snape leaned his head back on the massive chair and went to sleep. He looked like a little boy on the oversized wooden chair.

Katie and Hagrid were exchanging jokes, getting tipsy and laughing out loud at everything the other one said.

"Do you know what the Americans told the British after we kicked their ass?" She asked Hagrid.

"No," he said laughing into is glass as he swigged.

"Fuck you, we're calling it _Soccer_!"

Hagrid slapped the table, roaring with laughter.

As their merriment subsided, Hagrid wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes as he still chuckled off and on. A few moments passed and they sat quietly, listening to the wind and the crackle of the fire. Katie seemed lost in thought turning her glass around in her hands. Hagrid looked at Snape snoring softly on the oversized chair. He had never seen him so vulnerable and tame.

Breaking the silence, Hagrid said in a low and caring voice, "He's been through a lot, you know... the war... almost died just a few days ago. He is different now. Better. Happier. I kinda think you have somethin' ter do with that." He pulled her warm, dry shirt from the back of the chair and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said as she pulled the t-shirt over her head. "I don't know about that, but he's done everything he can to make me comfortable. He's been kind to me and I've grown incredibly fond of him in an extremely short period of time. My feelin's for him are really powerful and I'm a little scared, but it just feels so right. He does, I mean. Comfortable, ya know? Like it was meant to be. My father wouldn't approve of him, though." She grinned, taking another swig.

"Why, because he's a wizard?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and bristling defensively.

"Naw." She said very matter of fact. "It's 'cause he's a lot older'n me and he's still a virgin." Katie began laughing at her own words as Hagrid leaned his head back and bellowed. She laughed louder as she tossed more whiskey into her mouth. She glanced at Snape, sleeping soundly with his mouth open.

There was a sudden loud pounding on the door and Katie knocked over her glass, spilling her drink. Fang licked up the mess while Hagrid grabbed a tumbler from the table, leaving only two glasses.

"Be right there," Hagrid called.

Snape jumped out of the chair, alert. "Kingsley!" He whispered, alarmed. He straightened his jacket and rubbed his hands through his hair to look more presentable. _The letter! I forgot to open the damn letter._

"Hagrid, open the door," the man's voice called over the sound of the rain. "I'm looking for Professor Snape. Would he be in there?"

Katie was unnerved and couldn't quit laughing even though she wanted to respect Snape's wishes that no one yet know about her presence because of possible danger. Hagrid motioned for her to follow him into the back. He opened the wardrobe and she stepped in, crossing her legs as if she needed to pee.

"Stay very still and quiet. I'll get rid of him and I'll be right back ter get you out," he said, putting his finger to his lips. He closed the door as Katie began to act serious.

He hurried back into the front room and opened the door. The man plowed past Hagrid taking off his soaked hat. "Sorry to bother you, Hagrid, but I came to check on Headmaster Snape. He missed a meeting today and I thought something may be wrong." He stopped talking for a moment and sniffed Snape's breath. "Been drinking, eh?"

"Please forgive my absence this afternoon, Kingsley, I've been very busy with paperwork. My deepest apologies...I am not yet back to my full potential since..."

"No need to apologize," he reassured in a good natured way, "I've been hitting the Firewhiskey every night since the battle. I just need to speak with you

to tie up some loose ends about that. It won't take but a moment. Come with me and I'll get you right back."

Snape stood with his arms crossed, rolling his eyes as they disapperated, very unhappy about being called away.

Hagrid hurried to let Katie out of the wardrobe. "They're gone." He said, opening the door.

Katie stepped wrong and fell forward. Hagrid caught her by the back of her t-shirt and held her up to his eye level. She felt like a puppy being carried by its mother. She became limp with laughter.

Hagrid found amusement in the fact that she didn't protest when he held her up. He laughed as she did. "You are certainly a mystery, Katie Lee Hawkins. You could make a dragon laugh. I can see why Snape likes you."

"You're sweet, Hagrid. "I like you, too," she said as he put her down. I feel like I'm in a dream or a fairytale. No one's ever gonna believe this shit when I get home."

His eyes danced when she cursed, and laughed out loud all the way back to the front of the hut.

Katie followed him and said quietly, "_If_ I get back home...maybe I should click my heels together three times and say there's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Hagrid cocked his head in confusion. "Huh?" He had no idea what she was talking about, but still thought it hilarious.

"Never mind. Let's have another drink. It's rainin' and we can't go out and play. Might as well get piss drunk."

He poured them another round and they toasted again, still giggling at the smallest funnies. Katie began to wonder how her father would have reacted to Snape as her significant other. Inebriated, her emotions were exaggerated and she began to leak tears as she missed her parents.

"Mah Daddy died recently and ah ain't got nobody left in this whole wahd worl'," she slurred. "I jus' wanna play the pianah 'n sing." Sniffling, she said, "I was practicin' when the lahts flickered in the practice room. There was a storm 'n the 'lectricity got knocked out...there was this really old book...Ah thought it was comin' a tornado...and then ah woke up in his bathroom!" Her vocal inflection rose into a squeak as she talked, fighting tears, but finally allowed them to spill forth.

"There, there, now, Katie Lee, don't cry..." He put his arm around her shoulder patting her on the back. "We'll find a way ter get ye home".

"Thanks, Hagrid." She coughed as his hand patted her, knocking the wind out of her. She recovered and gulped the rest of her drink, slamming the glass onto the table upside down. She stood and stretched, noticing a lifeless potted plant as she yawned. "Hey, Hagrid, you wanna see something really cool ah just found out ah can do?"

"Sure!" He answered enthusiastically, watching her set the plant on the table in front of him. "Been meanin' ter throw that out. I can't keep a house plant alive..."

She began singing _Somewhere Over the Rainbow _in her best singing voice_. _Hagrid, now highly intoxicated, listened intently with tears streaming down his cheeks. As she sang, he suddenly felt good and happy and his tears weren't sad, they were tears of unexpected joy. Ribbons of rainbows began forming in the room and they danced around the plant. It burst forth with vivid, blooming flowers as Hagrid rubbed his eyes in disbelief. She finished singing and the colors escaped through the walls and windows, disappearing slowly.

"Weird, huh?" She laughed as she staggered over to sit down.

"Well, for Merlin's life I've never seen anything quite like that. Yer a _Muggle_? From _Mississippi_?"

"No, I'm a Methodist Democrat," she slurred, "but I guess you could also say that I'm a Muggle who can sing to dead plants and make them pretty again. The _Merpeople_ told me I'm fam'lyand they gave me _jewelry_." Thinking about her last statement made her laugh out loud, holding her stomach.

Hagrid did not laugh. His eyes were wide open in disbelief. "You just figg'rd out ye could do that?" _Who_ were yer parents? Wha'd you say you were doin' 'fore you got sucked out o' that room?" He asked, seriously.

"I was a piano," she slurred as she put her head on the table and passed out. He effortlessly picked her up and laid her on his massive bed. Fang jumped up and snuggled next to her. Placing his head on his paws, he exhaled a deep breath, and looked innocently up at his giant master.

"Bloody traitor!" Hagrid whispered to Fang as he covered Katie with a quilt.

Katie slept until the sun was full in the sky the next morning. Fang was barking outside and she was momentarily disoriented. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. When she could focus, she threw back the quilt and went into the front room. Looking out the side window, she saw Hagrid talking with Snape. They were standing among a thick patch of towering sunflowers and appeared to be having a heated discussion. She strained to hear what they were saying over Fang's thunderous barking.

"You'll have ter let her make her own decision! You can't _make_ her stay, Severus, you'll have ter let her decide!" Hagrid argued as he was feeding raw meat to Buckbeak.

"Yes, Hagrid, that is what I intend to do, but my way is better..."

"Oh, look!" She called to them, interrupting their squabble, "A pissing contest! Can I watch?"

She stepped onto the landing hoping they understood her meaning for the two of them to stop arguing. Fang was the first to see her and barked as he bounded over to her. She bent her knees and held her arms out for him as if she were calling a toy poodle. He rolled onto his back with his massive paws bent in front of him like a puppy and she gave him a belly rub.

The two men abruptly stopped their conversation when they heard her voice calling to them. Snape's expression went from stress to elation when he saw her and thought her interruption was valiant. They walked to the steps where she was playing with Fang.

"Aww, now isn't that sweet." Hagrid cooed at Fang, "He looks like a baby."

"Why'd you let me sleep so long?" She asked, hugging Snape.

"I did not want to see you vomit," he said jokingly, giving her a squeeze. "Hagrid tells me you sang for him last night." His tone contained a hint of jealousy, not of Hagrid, but the fact that he wasn't there to hear it.

Hagrid looked at the ground apologetically as though he shouldn't have said anything about her singing. To his relief, Katie rolled her eyes, signaling she did not care.

"I need to have a look at the book you mentioned to Hagrid." Snape said somberly.

"You mean that old book in my bag?" She asked inquisitively, noticing he had not had much sleep, and wondered why he had to be gone all night.

"Katie." Snape said her name as a statement and stopped walking, looking deeply into her eyes. "That book may be the reason you are here. I saw it on the floor next to you the night you arrived. We may know something about it that can help you return to your life." What should have been good news for her did not provoke a positive reaction. Instead, there was a certain unexpected sadness in believing there was a solution to her dilemma.

"Hagrid," Snape directed, "Come to the castle and join us for brunch. We will have a closer look to see if the book is genuine."

Hagrid accepted graciously. He was relieved and grateful that Snape had not blown up at him for knowing about the book and becoming friends with Katie. He was used to Snape's insults of times past, and he was overjoyed at Snape's new outlook with Katie, but he knew there would soon come the time when Katie Lee would have to return to her world.

They started toward the castle with Fang running along behind them. Katie played chase with him, and threw a stick for him to retrieve. He fetched it and lay on the ground chewing it. Katie called to him and whistled, trying to get him to bring it back, but he only continued gnawing and drooling on the stick.

The sun had made its way over the trees and there was a slight breeze cooling the warmth of the morning air. The grounds were green and bursting with life, and Katie stopped walking to take it all in. The castle towered overhead, as if guarding the grounds, spreading endlessly from end to end, resting in its ancient spot on a hill. The forbidden forest spat out random flocks of birds, flying gracefully from its ancient trees. Katie was spellbound by the majestic presentation.

"Stop!" she called to the men as she stood in place.

They both whisked around and took steps toward her, but stopped when they saw her holding out her arms to let the breeze caress her skin as it lifted her hair. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling with joyful satisfaction. It was as if the elements charged her spirit with a thorough knowledge of life.

"What the?" Snape snapped.

"Call me crazy, but let's just stop. I wanna stand here for just a minute and just breathe. I _have_ to remember this. Gimme time ta just take it all in."

She closed her eyes, leaned back her head, and inhaled a deep breath, slowly letting it out. Looking up to the sky, she saw Buckbeak flying overhead, followed by a shimmering flock of smaller white birds. Their formation broke apart and they flew out of sight.

Snape watched her breathe in the fresh morning breeze through her nose. The late morning daylight showcased all the sun kissed colors of her hair while the slight wind stroked it with invisible fingers. Her bright green eyes sparkled as rich emeralds when she smiled at him. He saw his reflection in them, but did not notice the man smiling back at him. His face was hardly creased and his eyes were no longer sullen, sad, and bitter.

The War seemed like years ago. Everything he saw everyday and took for granted was what she was seeing for the first time. Looking at the world through her eyes made his flawed world feel new, exciting, and wonderful. He was in awe of how she appreciated the simplest of things with a childlike faith. She had courage to take risks in people which he had never dared to take. She was everything he was not. The talents she possessed were true instruments of peace, life, and everything that he has ever believed to be good and she inspired him. He knew at that instant he was in love with her and he was absolutely certain that he could die right then just having had that moment.


	8. Chapter 8 The Book

A/N: It's fluffy. Why not? He's getting some happiness in his life. Believe me, it's gonna get fluffier in the future.

The Book

The three of them enjoyed brunch in the Great Hall. After the meal, the plates disappeared from the table, along with the mess. Startled, Katie stared at the magic table. Composing herself, she gasped, "I _gotta_ get me one of these tables!"

Snape returned from his chambers with her bag, holding it in front of him as if it were something he should not touch. Katie accepted the bag from him without moving her eyes from the magic table.

"May we see the book?" Snape asked, forcing his patience.

She placed the book on the table and stepped away. Hagrid and Snape hovered over it, looking at it as though they expected it to fly away. Hagrid traced the embossing with his rough fingers.

Hagrid picked up the book, inspecting it. Thinking aloud, he spoke in low tones, "I've heard stories at the Hog's Head Pub about a book that was supposed ter be very powerful. It writes the lineage of a family." He looked at Katie to explain the meaning. "That's something _very sacred and secret_ ter wizardin' families." Holding the book up to the light, he continued, "It was used as a port key ter get back 'n forth ter safety. A Russian wizard...name was Slavinovski, I believe, got himself in ter some trouble with a dark wizard. Legend has it that the dark wizard's curse deflected from the book, killin' the evil man, but some believe he lived. You have ter make a wish'n it'll take ye anywhere ye want ter go. Don't work like a regular port key, though. Ye have ter be careful with it 'n follow the rules of it."

"Did you wish to come here, Katie?" Snape asked, as if he were quizzing her in class.

"How could I have wished to come here when I didn't even know this place exists? I don't remember making any kind of wish. I remember looking at it and that I was disappointed that the precious thing my dad left me was an old book that I can't even open.

Oooh! Do you think there's money inside it?" She asked, reaching for it as Snape snatched it from Hagrid's enormous hands.

Hagrid took the book back from Snape and turned it over. "Aha! The scar of a dark wizard's deflected curse! This is definitely the book, alright!" Raising himself to his fullest height, his excitement grew. "This _is_ her way home!" He slowly looked at Snape when he realized being excited was not the right reaction.

Snape had hoped the book was not the reason she was there. He was defeated, already resigning himself to the fact that she had to go back. He did not know how he would say goodbye and return to his life of solitude and anger. Overwhelmed with the thought of letting her go, he plopped down on a chair, leaned back and ran his hand through his hair, exhaling loudly. He already knew the history of the book and in his heart he knew he couldn't make her stay. After all, she had not promised him forever.

Katie ran to kneel beside him. "Severus, I'm still here!" She took his hand and put it to her face. Caressing her cheek with his fingers, he felt the warmth of her skin as she kissed his palm. Hagrid turned his back to them, feeling awkward seeing someone else's romantic moments, so he acted as though he were inspecting the book more closely.

"Severus, I don't really want to leave, but I do need to go back and take care of unfinished business. I have a life there that I can't just abandon! Not if I can help it! I have college classes that I paid a lot of money for that I will fail if I don't go back... I have an apartment with my stuff in it...some of my parent's things, my family photos...." She lowered her inflection, "...And I have a cat that's probably dead by now. It may not sound like much of a life, but I have goals and responsibilities I can't just walk away from."

The thought of living a moment without her near him conjured ghosts of his past and he felt the familiar pang of bitterness return to his heart. His throat ached from trying to control the tears as he spoke, "You are right. You have your own life and it is selfish of me to keep you from it!" He snapped, pulling his hand away from Katie's grasp, feeling foolish for having thought he could have a romantic relationship with anyone.

She looked at her hands as if she had dropped something fragile. She said sadly, "I could come back when I've wrapped things up."

He rose from the chair and walked briskly away from her toward the door, stopping with his back to the room. "You will... _not_ come back," he groaned. Without looking at her, he commanded, pointing at the book, "Go! Go now! Do not stay here and bewitch me any longer!" He stormed out of the room. Half way down the corridor he broke into a silent fit of tears. Leaning his head on the cold stone wall, he breathed erratically as he tried to suppress his utter sense of loss.

She looked at Hagrid for help, but he couldn't speak. Not knowing what she would do at that moment, he clutched the book to his chest to keep her from using it.

"I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for _any_ of this!" She bellowed toward the door as it closed. She ran a few steps more toward it, yelling, "...And I don't need an old son of a bitch like you telling me what I will or won't do!" Her voice echoed in the Great Hall, causing the spell of the enchanted ceiling to break. All the stars fell to the ground, making a shattering sound of breaking crystal as they hit the floor. The moon fell, bouncing three times on the stone floor before it popped like an over inflated balloon. The inside shutters slammed shut, blocking out the daylight, and the debris from the enchanted ceiling disappeared from the floor. The once happy atmosphere turned gloomy, leaving a single candle lit in the middle of the table at the front end of the desolate Great Hall.

Hagrid felt helpless and he tried to apologize with the expression on his face. He hated to have witnessed the scene that had just taken place. She saw his gesture, but she was too overwhelmed with tears of rage and sadness to acknowledge it. She walked to where she thought the door was, but she couldn't find the knob for the lack of light.

"How in the _hell_ can ya'll have runnin' water and no damn electricity?" She found the knobs, pulled them open, and ran out, slamming both heavy doors behind her.

Hagrid raised his eyebrows, pondering her question, and held up his finger to answer. Quickly dropping his hand, he followed her to make sure she did not get lost, and to keep her safe. He expected Snape's sulky behavior, but it broke his heart to see Katie upset.

Tears flowed from her eyes as she ran across the grounds, sprinting all the way to the lake. She stood on the levee with her hands on her knees, catching her breath, and cried aloud. Hagrid strolled up behind her and said nothing, but quietly snapped apart a twig he pulled from a tree.

After a few moments of silence, he said, "You can't use it now, anyway."

"_What_?" She sobbed, wiping her nose on the stretched out hem of her shirt.

"You can't use the book yet. It can only be used every seven days. Like I said, it isn't like a regular port key. It has rules. If ye use it before seven days is up, it will close up for good."

She straightened and turned around to look at Hagrid. "Then I won't use it yet!"

Katie ran to Hagrid and hugged him. He patted her on the back, blushing. "You've got four more days before you can make your wish ter return home. He'll come around...give him some time." He wiped a tear from her face and smiled through his wiry beard.

"Thank you, Hagrid." She dropped her hands and took in a deep breath of fresh air.

"Course, you've got ter know what you wished fer ter get here in the first place," he added.

"I wish I could remember, but I honestly don't," she said as she skipped a stone on the water. It bounced three times, with the momentum for four, but a tentacle snatched it up before it could bounce again.

They walked quietly around the lake along the tree line of the forbidden forest. The late spring foliage was breathtaking in its presentation of every color imaginable. Katie picked small, yellow flowers as they strolled along the lakeside. She took time to ask about every living thing she had never seen before. Hagrid was patient and happy to answer every question she had. They laughed and talked, swapped pet stories, and bonded forever as friends.

"What is _that_?" Katie asked, pointing to a hedge wall full of the most exotic foliage she had ever seen. The flowers surrounded what looked like a gleaming white marble tomb. Katie respectfully approached, admiring the blooming garden encircling it. A great weeping willow tree towered above it, providing shelter from the sun.

Sitting on an ornate marble bench, she softly read aloud the epitaph, "Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore."

Hagrid stopped walking at the entrance of the garden. "That is the tomb of the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen." Katie saw his chest swell with pride. She remained silent, allowing him to reflect privately and mourn.

With tears welling in his eyes, he squeaked, "He was like a father to me."

Hagrid sat on the neighboring bench right next to hers, taking up the entire length of it. He let out a long, deep breath, and wiped his eyes. "Tell me about your parents, Katie," he asked as if he were asking someone to read him a story.

She began with when she was a little girl. Being an only child, she was lonely at times, but had pets and a few neighborhood friends. She talked of loving to sing and play the piano at an early age. They didn't have much money, but her parents always managed to pay for her private music lessons. There was love in her home and she grew up happy. She found out on her 15th birthday that her mom had cancer. She died a year later the day after her 16th birthday. Her dad never remarried and never even sought to. He was dedicated to his deceased wife until he was killed in a fatal car crash going home from work three months earlier.

Hagrid listened intently, wanting to hear everything she had to say. When she finished, he smiled at her and said, "Sounds like ye had what every little girl _should_ have."

"Yes, I did, Hagrid, and I am grateful for every moment of it. Now tell me all about you." She smiled, wiping her eyes on her shirt, and waited for him to begin his story.

Hesitating, he looked up, and exhaled before speaking. "Me mum was a giantess and me dad was a regular man."

He glanced at Katie, relieved that she didn't show any signs of disbelief or surprise. She was listening to him completely. When he was satisfied she wasn't going to gasp, he told her about growing up without his mummy, who left when he was three years old. He was close to his dad and could carry the man around by the time he was six. However, his father died when Hagrid was twelve, and Dumbledore took him under his wing at Hogwarts.

"How did Dumbledore die, Hagrid? Was it just old age?" She asked, looking at the tomb.

Hagrid said nothing, but studied his hands as the twinge of remembering carrying Dumbledore's body to the grave rendered him powerless against his grief. Tears flowed, dripping from his puffy cheeks before he could wipe them away. Studying his hands, he was unsure how to tell her that he died at the command of Snape's wand. He did not want to say or do anything that would change her obvious affection for Snape, but he decided she needed to hear it as much as he needed to recollect it.

"If it's too painful to talk about, Hagrid, you don't have to," she said, putting her hand on his plump arm for comfort.

He let out a long, deep breath, "You'll have ter hear the whole story in order ter understand. Might as well tell ye now." Clearing his throat, he began. "Snape was always more of an introvert. Ye know the type, he studied all the time, shy 'n all that. His only friend was Lily Evans. They were friends since 'fore they came ter Hogwarts tergether. He loved 'er, but he never told 'er, never acted on it." Hagrid reminisced. "Got himself in with the wrong crowd. Got interested in the Dark Arts 'n all. She didn't like it, either. She tried ter get him to stop, but he didn't. One day James Potter, the popular guy, and some of his buddies were teasin' Snape when she came up 'n made 'em stop. It upset 'im 'n he called 'er a Mudblood 'n she never forgave him for it. She ended up marryin' Potter and I know it broke his heart, but he never spoke of it."

Katie sat cross legged, listening intently, picking through her collection of yellow flowers piled in front of her. She began making a flower chain as she listened to every word Hagrid said, stopping occasionally to look at him. She subconsciously continued making the knots as she listened throughout the afternoon.

"After he left school, he became a Death Eater." Hagrid almost whispered, watching her reaction carefully. When he paused, she looked at him unemotionally, waiting for him to continue. "He quit them, but they didn't know it and he ended up joinin' the Order of the Phoenix, to try and fix somethin' he did. He told a secret that helped the Dark Wizard come ter power. He didn't know it would end up bein' James and Lily's son, Harry." He paused, catching his breath. "I rescued 'im from his crib when he was one year old, the night his parents were murdered by the Dark Wizard. Snape ended up puttin' the last eighteen years of his life on the line as a double agent tryin' ter protect Harry from You-Know-Who." Looking at her hands, he saw them shaking as she knotted the flowers together. "Dumbledore trusted 'im with his life, even when everyone else hated 'im. Dumbledore planned his own death with Snape. The Death Eaters got in ter the castle with Dumbledore cornered without a wand, defenseless." He stopped talking and looked away. Katie turned her eager, fervent eyes up to him, waiting for the worst of what he had to tell her.

Hagrid let out a deep breath and said, "It was Snape who killed Dumbledore, Katie. He did it because Dumbledore trusted him more than anyone, and planned it with him. Dumbledore wanted _him_ to do it. He got ter _choose_ how he died and that is part of how we got rid of Vol...You- Know- Who...I'll never be able ter say that name."

She did not speak, but made the chain into two garland wreaths, putting the larger one on Hagrid's head and the smaller one on hers. Having previously seen her temper flare, he did not oppose to wearing the flower wreath, but was expecting some type of obvious reaction. Instead, she smiled at him, as though his narrative had been a priceless gift. Looking puzzled at her, he saw her peaceful, pleasant face, reminding him of a flower; bold and strong, but only fragile on the outer layers.

Katie slowly approached the marble tomb, unable to explain her personal sense of loss at a stranger's tomb, but was overwhelmed with respect and sadness for his parting. She took the wreath carefully from her hair, kissed it, and placed it on top of the tomb, among the flowers left there by other mourners.

"Rest in peace, Mr. Dumbledore," she whispered.

Hagrid stood beside her and put his wreath next to hers, saying to Dumbledore, "You'd like this girl...you really would." He wiped his eyes and Katie took his finger as they stood in a moment of silence before the tomb. The sun was setting, casting a fiery orange glow over the garden, and their wreaths began to grow in size, causing the little yellow wild flowers to turn into flowers the size of plates. The petals opened, letting out a small swarm of black and yellow butterflies.

"I believe that is a sign that he approves." A deep, somber voice spoke from nowhere. Snape appeared from behind the weeping willow tree right behind them and placed a multi color bouquet of daisies at the foot of the tomb. He took a step back, clasped his hands behind him and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed at his recent loss of acquaintances. The deaths of Tonks and Remus weighed on his conscience, and he felt overpowering remorse for knowing that he was partly to blame for their deaths.

Already weak with grief for fallen collegues, his remorse for killing Dumbledore caused him to fall to his knees. Placing his hands on the tomb, as if reaching for Dumbledore, he whispered, "I am sorry, old man, I am so very, very sorry!" Weakly standing back up, he wiped his eyes and his face on his sleeve, clearing his throat, as if nothing had happened.

Hagrid let go of Katie's hand and said, "Oh, look at the time. I better go and feed Fang." He headed back up the path toward his hut.

After Hagrid left, the silence between them weighed heavily on Snape, and he awaited her verdict.

"How long have you been listening?" She asked impassively as she rearranged the monstrous yellow flowers on the tomb.

"Long enough. Your parents sound like wonderful people. I wish I could have met them. I would have complimented him on raising such a wonderful daughter." Snape had still not met with Katie's eyes.

"Hagrid told me about the war ...and Dumbledore..." Her voice cracked as she glanced at him and back to the flowers.

"I know," he interrupted. His eyes, dark and pleading, now focused on Katie. He was relieved that she had heard the truth, and he was shockingly grateful to Hagrid for telling her.

"I have a few things I wish to say to you, Katie," he said, turning his body toward her. "First of all...I am sorry. I was harsh with you this morning and I apologize."

She began to speak, but he held up his hand for her to wait.

"I am relieved that you have heard from Hagrid everything I was afraid for you to know. I have tried to keep the regrets of my past from you for fear that it would repulse you and make it impossible for you to...for _me to..." _

Rushing closer to her, he dropped to his knees and took her hands in both of his, continuing, "For you to love me as I have come to hopelessly love you." He buried his face in her hands, hoping that by telling her how he felt, she would somehow not hate him.

She placed her hands on either side of his face, summoning him to look up at her, "But I _do _love you, Severus! I knew it the first night I was here and you took care of me. I knew that you had regrets in your life, but I wasn't afraid of you. I understood you...even then...without knowing..."

"Katie, of my many years of being in this world _you_ are the first _real_ love of my life. There will be no other. I pledge myself to you and I swear that only death could me from you. In the past few days you have given me a happiness and peace that I never expected. If it makes me a selfish man to want to keep you here with me, then I am guilty!"

Caressing his hair, she pulled him up in front of her by his chin. Looking into his tired, sad eyes, she realized the remorse he carried, and she saw that all the painful sacrifices he made in his life had been done in silence.

"I never expected to feel the way I do about you. There are so many things in my life right now that don't make sense. The only thing that I _am_ sure about is the fact that I'm in love with you. You complete me, Sev." She said, surrendering to his arms, his flaws, and to his mystery.

He possessively took hold of her and swung her around.

"We've got four days," she said as she grasped his shoulders. "Let's make the most of them."

End Notes: Please leave some feedback!


	9. Chapter 9 The Piano

The Piano

Minerva McGonagall's voice could be heard around the hedges, calling for Snape. As soon as he heard her, he put Katie on the ground, and placed his finger to his lips for her to be quiet.

"Down here, Minerva!" He called, quickly running around the hedge, leaving Katie out of sight. Katie peered through a small opening in the leafy wall as Snape met McGonagall on the other side.

"I just got an owl at my sister's house from the Ministry with wonderful news and I couldn't wait to tell...you..." her voice trailed off, when through an opening between the flowers and leaves in the hedge wall, she caught a glimpse of someone moving behind it. Looking at Snape inquisitively, and back at the opening, she hesitated, allowing him a moment to explain who was there. However, he ignored the invitation, and she decided to not pursue an inquisition with him, especially since she knew him to be quite difficult.

"Please, Minerva, _tell me_!" He commanded, uncomfortably and impatiently.

She continued with her excitement, "The Order wishes to sponsor a Masquerade Ball for Halloween in celebration of recent events!" Waiting for his immediate response, she hoped that he would share her excitement.

"Severus, don't you think we need a good party after all that's happened? I came to get your approval. Representatives are on their way here to meet us in the Great Hall for discussion on the matter." McGonagall caught another glimpse of the feminine figure behind the hedge wall.

Snape hesitated. "Why in the hell are they planning that now, of all times? It is only May, for the love of Merlin!"

McGonagall looked at him suspiciously for his use of foul language. That way of talking was completely out of his usual regal demeanor.

Exasperated at the inconvenience of having been interrupted, and knowing the old witch had seen Katie, he decided to diffuse his anger in an effort to get rid of the old woman. Clasping his hands behind his back, he stuttered, "Yes, um, you go ahead and I will be right behind you. I will meet you at the castle." Standing in place, he waited until McGonagall turned to leave and he hurried back behind the hedge to Katie.

"Everyone you know is gonna find out about me. I understand how they feel about Muggles 'n all 'round here, but..." He put his finger over her lips to quiet her.

"I will bring you to light very soon. You have my word." He said, as he pulled her into him, kissing her with a bit more familiarity.

McGonagall still had doubts about trusting him, and she felt it her duty to find out who else was at Dumbledore's grave. She quietly peered around the hedge in time to witness Snape and Katie kissing intimately. Putting her hand over her mouth in astonishment, she whirled around and briskly started toward the castle.

Snape quietly took Katie back to his quarters and immediately headed down to the Great Hall to meet with the guests. As he walked, he realized he was humming Katie's version of_ Puccini_. He stopped at a mirror to check his appearance.

"She's too young for you, you know?" Peeves said, sticking his head out of the mirror, blocking Snape's reflection.

Snape switched to the smaller mirror next to Peeves. "Oh,yeah? What do _you_ know?" He asked playfully, smoothing his stringy black hair. Continuing to his destination, Snape ignored the obnoxious ghost making crude faces behind his back as he walked away.

There were several representatives waiting for him in the Great Hall including Kingsley, the new Minister of Magic. Also present were Harry, Hermione, and Ron as representatives of the Order, as well as the Ministry. Professor McGonagall stood with Katie's book clutched under her arm, anxiously waiting for Snape. He saw the book as soon as he entered the room and he stood next to her to guard it.

Kingsley began the meeting, "So sorry to once again disturb your vacation, Severus, but I'm afraid this couldn't wait." Shaking hands with Snape, Kingsley almost laughed when he saw that Snape had apparently combed his hair.

Snape wore his dry, sulking personality as he nodded recognition to everyone in the room, "Potter, Weasley, Granger. I see you've all taken jobs with the Ministry. Congratulations on your success."

"I'll get right to the point," said Kingsley in an authoritative voice. "We must be current on all activities of the enemy. There are still active Death Eaters carrying on in the name of Voldemort who are seeking to avenge his death."

Professor McGonagall studied the book's cover as she listened. She peered over her bifocals at Snape, her clear, blue eyes already had all the answers to every question she wanted to ask him.

"Now," Kingsley continued, "Not all supporters of Voldemort became Death Eaters, but the ones remaining are aggressively recruiting new members. Their hatred of Mud Bloods continues, but their tolerance for Muggles remains increasingly low. Although the momentum of the Death Eater memberships seems to be on a downswing, I will not underestimate the powers that be. Therefore, we will need to upgrade security for this event in order to ensure the safety of the students. I would request that it be done in a manner that does not cause panic or distress in any way. We are all looking forward to a social that is celebratory and respectful of all those who have fallen as a result of recent events. Be on alert, Severus, they are certainly not happy with _you_. Of course, we will repair the rest of the Wards on Hogwarts as soon as you are up to it. For now, they will hold off any intruders, but one may still apperate within the grounds of Hogwarts. Unfortunately, that was Dumbledore's spell and he took the secret of it to his grave."

All eyes in the room suddenly landed on Snape when Dumbledore's name was mentioned. He realized they were not looking at him with hatred, but with apprehension as to what his reaction would include.

Without taking his eyes off the book, Snape replied in a businesslike manner, "Do what you have to do and I will support it." He simply wanted all of them to leave.

"We will draw up the plans and bring them back to discuss it in a couple of days," said Kingsley.

McGonagall became animated. "We should have a feast! Everyone bring a guest. Ron, you should bring your family if they're up to it. I know it has only been a few days since...but it will be so nice to have the _Hogwarts_ _family_ together again after all that has happened_," _she said, motioning to all of them. "The war is over and we need to celebrate. I am so happy to see you all here." Her eyes became watery, and her voice broke, "Life will continue, my friends. Be glad we still have one another. The next chapters are up to us."

"Of course we accept!" Kingsley's enthusiastic, deep voice replied, answering for the rest of the group.

Hermione took her former Transfiguration professor's slim, wrinkled hand, and squeezed, giving her a reassuring smile. Ron placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder, and nodded at Mcgonagall.

"I'll work on Mum and Dad. They are still very upset. I'm the only family member who has left the house this week. I'll be here."

Harry nodded, shoving his hands deep in his pockets, and he realized that he was standing in the very spot where Fred's lifeless body and been placed.

Kingsley motioned for them to prepare for their magical departing, and he waited for them to find their places. Disapperating together, they left McGonagall and Snape alone in the Great Hall.

"Who was that young woman in the garden, Severus?" McGonagall firmly asked, as though the question had been bottled up inside her for ages.

He quickly took the book from McGonagall. "Um, well, she is..." He stuttered.

She waited for his answer, looking at him over her bifocals, pursing her lips, as though she were about to place him on detention. Watching him awkwardly search for an explanation, she smiled devilishly. She knew quite well what they had been doing in the garden when they were certain they had been alone.

"I should like to see her at the feast," McGonagall instructed, standing directly in front of him. "Maybe _then_ you can answer my question," she reprimanded, leaving for her quarters.

Snape was relieved she did not pursue the subject further, as he knew she was capable of interrogations of the most uncomfortable kind. At the moment, he could only think of getting upstairs to Katie. Knowing that he would now have to bring her to light and introduce her excited him. Looking around the room, he made sure he was alone before practicing introductions.

"Hello everyone, this is my _Muggle girlfriend_, Katie, from the United States." Stopping to think of what he just said made him laugh. "_Girlfriend?_ ..._me_?" Leaving the room, he said the word girlfriend over and over under his breath.

Snape stopped in the kitchen for dinner before going to the tower. As soon as he entered, the house elves placed in his hands a silver tray with two place settings of the finest dishes and silverware in the castle. Chilling in an ice bucket was a bottle of wine only served at special occasions, along with pressed red linen napkins, tall white candles, and goblets of the finest crystal. Red roses and Baby's Breath adorned the centerpiece, and the aroma of Fillet Mignon under the gleaming silver cover reminded him that he had not eaten since breakfast.

"Well done....Well done, indeed," he mumbled approvingly.

Catching himself wasting time, he commanded, "That will be all! Thank you!"

He hurried up the stairs to his tower, leaving the house elves staring after him, as well as one another. They cheered joyfully and scattered throughout the kitchen to carry on with their chores.

Snape entered his chambers to find a dark, quiet room. He heard the bath draining out the last of the water, and thought Katie may still be in there. Leaving the door open, he used the outside light to find the dining table. After lighting the two tapered candles on the tray, he took one in his hand and closed the door. He heard the bedroom door creek open and Katie appeared, wearing a white floor length night gown. She placed her hands on either side of the door frame, slightly above her head. Stretching and yawning audibly, she caught sight of him and twirled around to model her new garment. She had no idea the light coming from behind her allowed him to see the silhouette of her body through the gauzy cloth.

Snape was unaware that he was gaping at her with his mouth open, as the candle he was holding dripped hot wax onto his hand. After the fifth drip, he jumped and blew it out, shaking his hand to cool it off.

Katie laughed and bounded over to the dining table.

"This looks _good!_" She said, lifting the lid to the main dish. "I'm hungry as _hell! _How 'bout you?"

He could not move. The sight of her in that night gown presented a feminine side of her he had not yet seen. So far he knew her to be boisterous, rowdy and attractive, but now he saw her as diffused, delicate, and irresistible. He was awestruck.

"You ok?" She asked, crunching on a carrot stick as she approached him.

"Yes, um, I am fine. Where did you get the...uh..." he said, motioning to her clothing.

Katie gracefully twirled around again with her arms to either side, bubbling with excitement. "You like it? House elves! Can you believe it? Winky just now sewed it for me and we had a really nice _girl_ talk. She said I needed clothes. Happy little things, aren't they? ...And fast! C'mon, Sev, let's eat," she said, motioning to the table.

"_Sev_?" he asked, pulling the chair out for her, grinning as he found his seat.

"Is that ok? It just sorta came out. I won't do it again if you don't like it," she said in a playfully reprimanding way.

"I like it the way _you _say it. It can be _yours_ to call me," he said approvingly. Chuckling, he repeated it with a southern drawl imitation, "Say-ev."

"Do I really sound that _bayad_?" She joked, looking at him through her eyebrows.

"No, but I do enjoy your many syllables in single syllable words," he teased, noticing the playful grin on her face.

They enjoyed the private candlelight dinner with delightful conversation and banter. When their bellies were full and the last glasses of wine had been poured, they made themselves comfortable on the sofa in front of the fire. Nervously sitting next to her, he held his goblet with both hands, too shy and inexperienced to put his arm around her. Katie unexpectedly scooted closer to him and leaned on his chest, pulling his arm around her. After sitting rigid for a few moments, he became relaxed, unafraid to touch her, and he caressed her hair, pushing the tip of his nose into its softness. He listened as she talked of her recital.

"You are talking as if you are not going back to perform." He said into her hair. Closing his eyes, he secretly hoped she would not consider going back.

"Sev, I don't think I want to go back, but if I don't, I'll have to live with the regrets of unfinished business. I haven't practiced in three days. Missin'out on that time has set me back. I just don't think I'm gonna be ready. I mean, you don't just quit practicin' when you're playin' Liszt and that's what's happened." Katie moved out of his embrace, and sat up cross legged, facing him, slumped over with her elbows on her knees.

"You must not give up so easily on what matters most to you, Katie," he advised. "From the sound of it you have sacrificed part of your life to prepare. It is already within you to do well." He couldn't help noticing that she left a hint of lavender fragrance on him after she moved.

"You're right. I mean, there prob'ly won't be anybody there to hear me screw up, anyway," she said negatively.

"You are better than that, Katie," he lightly reprimanded in a low voice. "You are humble. I admire that in you, but never underestimate your talents. One never knows when or where opportunity may come."

Snape put his goblet on the table in front of him and leapt from his seat. "Come with me, Katie, I want to show you something! This cannot wait!" His eyes gleamed with excitement.

Taking her hand, he pulled her, jogging down the rotating steps. Her bare feet slapped the cool stone floor, and her night gown billowed behind her as they ran. He pointed his wand at the torches, making them dance with light as they ran along the darkened corridors, all the way to the Great Hall.

He stopped at the door, out of breath, "Wait here!"

Entering the room, he closed the doors behind him, leaving Katie to wait alone in the Great Foyer. She noticed a portrait of an old man staring at her. When she looked at him, he flirted with her by winking and waving.

"Sorry, dude, I'm taken." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

He frowned and Katie sympathetically said, "But if I weren't, you'd be the first I'd call."

The old man in the portrait bowed, still ogling over her when Snape ceremoniously opened both tall, heavy doors from the inside, inviting her to enter. Katie stepped into the room and saw a shiny, black grand piano propped open. Numerous candelabras with thick, glowing candles stemmed from the stone floor, evenly distributed throughout the room. Hovering over the piano was a gleaming silver chandelier holding countless smaller candles. Their flickering flames perfectly reflected in the piano's finish.

Clasping her hands to her mouth, she gasped tearfully. Running to the piano, she touched it to see if it was real or magic, and she hugged it as though it was a person when she realized it was a Steinway. Feeling the smooth texture of the black lacquered wood with her hand, she traced the edge as she walked the length of it to the keys. She caressed the black and white ivory, touching random notes from high to low pitches, and took her place on the bench. Lightly rocking, she rubbed her hands on her legs to warm her fingers, and she gently placed them in her lap, deciding what to play first.

Snape circled his wand and a plump, leather chair appeared beside him. He slowly sat on the edge of it, not taking his eyes away from her. Sitting at the piano, she looked tranquil and he was pleased with himself for giving her a small piece of her life back. The flickering candles glowed brighter as she placed her hands gracefully over the keys and began to play a waltz. The music conjured feelings of delight and exhilaration, but had a residue of sweetness and melancholy. It was the most pleasingly played piece of music he had ever heard.

Mesmerized, he did not see the house ghosts floating through the walls, whispering to one another. They gathered behind him and listened politely, as if attending a major pompous social event. As she played, the music filled the Great Hall with excitement and happiness. The tempo picked up, and six transparent couples in period clothing began waltzing, perfectly in sync, all around the room. Her music was fast, brilliant, and it sounded like a party. When the piece ended, they bowed to one another, and applauded politely toward her, awaiting the next song.

Katie stood beside the bench to take a bow, but stepped backward, tripped over the bench, and fell to the floor when she saw them. Snape ran to her as the ghosts gasped and crowded to see what had happened. He lifted her head to check for blood, but there was none. Winky jogged into the room and held a fat, green worm under Katie's nose. Making a horrible face from the stench caused by the worm, she woke, gasping for oxygen. Winky pocketed the worm and happily trotted away. Katie opened her eyes, still grimacing. The ghosts huddled around, curiously waiting for the pianist to regain consciousness in order to continue entertaining them.

"Say, Miss, are you alright?" Nearly Headless Nick asked jovially to where she was laying in the floor. "That was a jolly good tune you just played. You could give it another go if you're up to it!"

She took Snape's arm for protection, still unsure, "I'm sooo sorry, ya'll, I'm j-just not used to...um...g-ghosts," she said to the crowd of transparent people floating about. Snape shooed them away like flies, and he helped her to her feet.

The ghosts floated away, talking among themselves on the way out through the wall. "_That was bloody brilliant! Shall we do this again soon? What a lovely soiree!" _

Setting the bench upright, he placed it so that he was standing between it and Katie. He put his hands on her waist to steady her and he felt her soft, lean curves under the delicate fabric of her flowy gown.

She leaned against the keys, causing some of them to sound, and she rubbed her forehead. "Ah'm such a klutz! Ah could just crawl in a hole and die right now!"

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," he assured. "I enjoyed your music and I must say you impress me. You are superior in your art, Katie Lee Hawkins from the South."

Easing her hands around his neck, she smiled, looking slowly up into his yearning, midnight eyes, "Thank you for this...it made me feel like I was home again."

He slid his hands around her, pulling her closer to him. "Feeling better?" He asked, trembling as he timidly caressed her lower back.

"Yes," she whispered, as if giving him permission to touch her.

Losing all sense of time or place, he kissed her as he had wanted, consuming her completely. The piano keys sounded underneath her, making a dissonant noise that echoed through the Great Hall, and into the empty corridors of the castle.

He untied the ribbon holding her neckline together, and he pushed the fabric gently away from her shoulder, exposing her soft, smooth skin. Tracing the white mark of her tan line with his fingers, she sighed, giving him complete control to take her as he pleased. She put one foot up on the piano bench, inviting his body to draw closer as he kissed her neck down to her bare shoulder. Arching her back, she ran her fingers through his hair, causing his body to tremble, and his heart to pound against her chest. His breath was hot on her neck, and she wanted more.

The door creaked open and Professor McGonagall, in her night cap, peeked in holding a candle. She was speechless at the sight of the headmaster about to make love in the Great Hall. Before she could decide exactly what to do, she scolded, "For heaven's sake, Severus, we _eat _in here!" She quietly closed the door and left.

Severus and Katie froze as they were, breathing heavily, hearts pounding. His face was flushing with hot waves of embarrassment and Katie started to pull up her night gown back onto her shoulder.

"Don't." he whispered on her neck, taking her hand away from the ribbon. "Hold on tight to me," he said, breathily onto her lips. Wrapping both arms around her tightly, she clung to him, and he disapperated them both to his chambers.

End Notes: I promise some lemons when I get up my nerve. It's on its way, but not yet! I'm still working on my nerve! Nerve? Here, nerve!


	10. Chapter 10 Shoes

A/N: Ok. This is an extremely fluffy chapter and I laughed all the way through it while I wrote it.

Shoes

Katie awoke just before noon the next day, opening her eyes to find a long stemmed red rosebud on his pillow. A note was tied to the stem with the ribbon from her nightgown in a perfect bow. Without getting up, she smelled the sweet fragrance of the rose, while slowly pulling one end of the silk ribbon to free the parchment. The note read:

_My Dearest Katie,_

_I regret that urgent business in London must take me away from you this morning. I will return to you as soon as possible._

_Lovingly yours,_

'_Sev'_

Throwing back the covers, she sat up on the bed, stretching her arms over her head. Feeling a chill in the room, she took the quilt from the bed, pulling it around her for warmth, and shuffled into the bathroom. A knock came at the heavy arched door at the tower entrance, but she did not hear it over the sound of the toilet flushing. Before coming out, she readjusted the king size quilt to act as a cloak, better protecting her naked skin from the drafty castle. Yawning loudly, she opened the bathroom door to encounter Professor McGonagall standing in the middle of the sitting room. Katie froze in place, trapped, clutching the king size quilt around her, as though it would make her invisible.

"So _you_ are the young woman Severus has been seeing," McGonagall said coyly, eying her carefully.

"Yes, ma'am," she said simply, still frozen, hoping Snape would immediately walk through the door. The blinding brightness of the late morning sun hit her eyes, as if McGonagall were shining a spotlight into them to interrogate her.

"Forgive my intrusion. I need to speak to Severus. Is he here?" The old witch asked, craning her neck to see into the bedroom.

"Uh...no, ma'am, he had to go to London." Katie squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the light.

McGonagall gasped, confused, "I must have forgotten he had another meeting at the Ministry. Did he give a _reason_ for the meeting?"

"Ah don't know, mayam, business is all ah know." Katie's eyes no longer ached from the light, and she stifled a yawn.

"Your accent...is...southern United States?" McGonagall inquired.

"Yes, mayam. Mississippi." Katie said, growing more uncomfortable and agitated with the inquisitive woman every second.

"Well, child, I'm not going to_ bite_ you. I did not come in here to _scold_ you." McGonagall's face softened. "Get dressed and let's go have lunch together at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade."

"Uh..._Where at_?" Katie asked, unsure, turning her head in confusion.

"Oh, do forgive me. I did not introduce myself. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, teacher of Transfiguration and Deputy Headmistress here at Hogwarts. And you are...?" Gesturing to Katie with both hands, she smiled, awaiting an answer as her sharp, blue eyes became welcoming and warm.

"Ah'm Katie Lee Hawkins, mayam. Pleasure to meet you." Katie said, nodding to McGonagall.

Dilys Derwent, the only female headmaster portrait, listened intently to the conversation, appalled at McGonagall's acceptance of Katie, and began shouting comments. "She's a _Muggle _and she shouldn't be here! This is _highly_ inappropriate!"

The male portraits defended her, "Leave the poor girl alone! She's lost!"

Katie shrank further into the protection of the quilt.

"Shush!" McGonagall commanded, cutting them off. Lowering her voice, she eagerly said to Katie, "Hogsmeade is a small wizarding village nearby with a few pubs and some quaint little shops. The students enjoy outings there at various times during the school year as a reward for hard work. My summer plans recently changed and I am in dire need of a break from this castle! This is the perfect opportunity for us to become acquainted, don't you think? Severus cannot expect to keep you all to himself forever."

She made her way to the door. Hesitating before exiting, she happily instructed, "Katie, I will meet you in the Great Hall in twenty minutes and I will not take no for an answer!" She softly closed the door, not locking it from the outside.

"You don't belong here, Muggle!" Shouted Dilys Derwent.

Katie looked closely at the portrait and walked over to see it better. Dilys had long, silver ringlets, and a scowl. Katie approached, looking at the woman with fire in her eyes, and held up her middle finger, leaving the lady to gasp. The other portraits laughed and jeered at the woman, but Katie noticed that Dumbledore's portrait was empty. She approached it, studying it closely, but all that remained was a painting of a fancy empty chair. Walking away from it, she saw Dumbledore return, sitting as if he had been there all along.

An unattached voice whispered to her subconscious, "_Go meet Minerva_. _Hurry_!" She immediately returned to the bath to get dressed.

At the Ministry of Magic, Snape sat in front of Kingsley's massive desk, irritated at being summoned that morning for another security meeting. Distracted, thinking of nothing but Katie, he hardly heard a word Kingsley said during the hours long meeting.

"Will that be all?" Snape asked impatiently, rising to leave.

Kingsley motioned for Snape to sit. "Actually, Severus, I wanted to ask if you had seen a Muggle female on the grounds. There were reports of a sighting by a few locals in the area."

Snape felt a small panic, but maintained his previous demeanor. "No, I have not." Knowing he should not have lied, a familiar voice whispered in his head, telling him it was necessary to do so for the time being. He first wanted to blame Hagrid for letting the secret slip about Kaite since he had a history of not being able to keep secrets. On the other hand, he suspected McGonagall, since he knew she did not trust him, despite her knowing the truth.

"Strengthen the Muggle Deflection Charms when you return, just to be safe." Kingsley said, offering his hand for Severus to shake, formally bringing the meeting to a close. "I shall see you tomorrow night at the feast."

Severus shook his hand, relieved to know that Kingsley knew nothing about Katie, as of yet. "Tomorrow night, then." He said, turning to leave.

Without another thought of the meeting, Snape made his way to Diagon Alley. His first stop was Gringott's Bank in order to make a withdrawal. Entering his vault, he was surprised to see it full of gold, even though he had saved every Knutt of his salary since his tenure at Hogwarts, and had never spent a coin of it. He had no idea how much gold he would need to buy Katie a dress to wear to the feast, and he was determined to surprise her with something nice.

Holding two fists full of gold, he quietly sought advice from the Goblin standing guard at the door of the vault. "Do you know the price of shoes?"

The Goblin shook his head, obviously annoyed that Snape had spoken to him. Ignoring the little man, Snape opened his pouch and scraped gold into it until it would not close. He pulled the drawstring as tight as it would go, putting the loose spillage jingling into his pocket. Placing the pouch into his robe, he patted it twice, and briskly exited the vault.

Several of the shops were still boarded up from Voldemort's takeover, but there were enough remaining open from which to choose. Accustomed to loathing and gossip, he ignored stares, as he stealthily searched for a women's clothing shop. To him, Katie Lee Hawkins was the only person in the world and he easily dismissed the whisperings of passersby.

The store window of _Madame Mendoza's House of Every Occasion_ caught his eye. He slowed, looking out of the corner of his eye to see the display of evening gowns and formal wear. A pair of seductively red strappy stilettos sparkled at him from behind the glass, and he stopped, moving closer, taking in a full observation of them.

"Hello, Headmaster," said Hermione. "Doing a bit of shopping, I see." She saw the sparkling shoes in the window and looked at the ground to keep from laughing.

"Miss Granger," he acknowledged, obviously uncomfortable at having been discovered.

Their attention went to Ron, walking out of the ice cream shop, directly across the street. Carrying overstuffed cones in each hand, he stopped walking to lick the quickly melting ice cream. Hermione waved her arm, drawing his attention to her location, as Snape bade her to stop.

Ron began crossing the street as he licked the edge of the cone in his left hand, causing the scoops to fall to the ground. He tossed the cone into a nearby trash bin, wiping his hands on his pants. The ice cream in his right hand, intended for Hermione, was quickly melting chocolate. He tried to save it from a liquid disaster by flattening his tongue to cover more area as he licked the drips from the side of the cone. He approached Hermione, and while handing her the cone, the ice cream unexpectedly slid off onto the cobblestones below, splattering brown droplets of sticky sweet onto Snape's boots.

"Sorry," Ron said, looking slowly up at Snape, his eyes wide open in panic, as if waiting for points to be taken from his House.

Snape moved his foot away. With narrowed eyes, looking down his nose at Ron, he gravely said, "Weasley."

"I'm going on down to George's store," Ron told Hermione, nervously, wanting to escape. "He's back at work today and I hear he finished the formula for _Wheezing Twinkies_ and I want to check it out," he said, briskly walking away as he talked.

"Shoes." Snape said, leaning toward Hermione, almost inaudibly. "I need a dress and shoes for a young lady." He rightfully presumed she would help him with the task.

Hermione's eyes laughed, but she did not. "May I ask for whom...?"

"No, you may not," he quipped, pulling his cloak together, as armor.

"Well, then, is this for a formal occasion or everyday wear?" She asked, stifling a smile.

"Dinner tomorrow...McGonagall's Feast," he replied, looking over his shoulder, ducking into the shop.

Snape plucked the red shoes from the display window and handed them off to Hermione. He moved to stand behind her, as though it would make him invisible, and waited for her to move to the display rack with dresses hanging from it.

Hermione held the shoes in her hands, as if shoes were something she had never seen before. In all her years at Hogwarts, she did not remember him ever handing her anything that was not dreadful in some kind of way. '_Apparently'_, she thought, '_he has good taste in women's clothing'_. The urge to laugh became harder to restrain, but still, she did not crack a smile.

"What size is she?" Hermione whispered.

Snape cleared his throat, most uncomfortable and embarrassed at not having been more prepared. Looking around the shop, there was only the shop owner, Madam Mendoza, who was a short, plump woman, and Hermione. Snape faced Hermione, who he thought was much too boney to compare to Katie's size. He held his right hand to his nose to show her height, and moved his hands together in opposite downward arches to show she was curvaceous. Putting his hands back under his cloak, he knew it was obvious to Hermione that he very well knew from experience her size and shape.

"It doesn't matter," she said reassuringly, "I know an alterations spell I can place on the dress that will, um, _nip and tuck_."

Hermione approached the dress rack, leaving Snape standing awkwardly alone in the middle of the shop. Stifling the laughter inside her was painful and her eyes were leaking. Pretending to be thinking in front of the dresses, she put her hand to her eyes and wiped away the moisture.

She pulled out a tea length, black satin dress with long sleeves, and a high collar. Holding it up for Snape to see, he waved it off, grimacing as he shook his head '_no'_ right away. Hanging it back in its file on the rack, she realized he did not see her as _homely_. The thought caused Hermione to almost laugh out loud and it peaked her curiosity. She next selected the most daring dress on the rack; a slinky long, red, backless evening gown, with a lone slit up the side, sparkling tauntingly under the light. His eyes wide open, he nodded '_yes_' as he hastily moved to the counter to pay.

Hermione approached, carefully placing the shoes and the dress on the counter for him to purchase. She walked to the end of the counter and selected a lengthy, sheer crimson wrap to go over the dress. Matching perfectly, allowing the sparkles to be seen underneath, she added it to his purchase.

Leaning on the counter, she exclaimed, "You _can't_ forget the jewelry!" She said, excited, but not pushing. "The dress is _all about_ the jewelry." For the most part, she wanted to find out how far he was willing to go, and how much money he would spend on the _young lady_.

He stopped to listen to Hermione and nodded once to Madame Mendoza in agreement. Madame Mendoza turned around, opened the safe behind the counter, and presented a tray lined with black velvet, displaying ornaments and trinkets made of precious gemstones, diamonds, gold, and silver. He immediately saw a pair of pearl and diamond teardrop earrings, set in gold, with a matching necklace. Holding the set closer, he was reminded of the pearl bracelet the Merpeople had presented to Katie. That particular set of jewelry was the most expensive thing in the store, but he did not look at the price tag. Glancing at Hermione for approval, she leaned closer to the pieces and nodded her head exaggeratedly '_yes'_.

"I will take them," he said dryly, pulling the overflowing pouch of gold from his pocket. Madame Mendoza counted out the money, which was only a fourth of his currency, and noisily dropped the coins into the register drawer. She wrapped his four packages in sparkly bright, festive gift wrapping parchment, binding the boxes cleverly together in size from the largest to smallest, with a red silk ribbon. He picked up the bundle as though each box contained something as fragile as crystal.

Safely placing the jewelry in his breast pocket, he nodded to Hermione. "Thank you for your help, Miss Granger," he quirked.

Relieved and elated at his treasures, he was excited about going back to the castle to give them to Katie. Stopping at the door, he turned to Hermione and almost sang, "See you tomorrow evening." Awkwardly opening the door, he darted out, the bells jingling loudly as he yanked it closed behind him.

Hermione, still leaning on the counter, watched him walk away. Madame Mendoza commented, with a Romanian accent, "E has exzellent taste in vomen's clozing...you muz tell me all about ze dinner, ok?"

They looked at one another and released the stifled laughter that had been building up during his shopping experience. Hermione covered her mouth, thinking she was laughing loud enough for him to hear her. She looked again to make sure he was out of earshot, and saw two cloaked, suspicious looking figures disappear into the alley across the street. She walked to the door, watching them intently, and realized they were following Snape.

Hermione recognized them as Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange. They had been sentenced to Azkaban for participating in the torturing of Frank and Alice Longbottom, but escaped during the January 1996 Mass Breakout. They were being hunted by the Ministry of Magic for participating in the Battle of Hogwarts as Death Eaters, and she was sure they wanted Snape dead.

Snape stopped walking to readjust the packages in his hands, not sensing the two Death Eaters approaching him.

"So, the Half Blood traitor lives and is now Headmaster. Shopping for your girlfriend, Snape? Rabastan's low, raspy voice ridiculed.

Snape turned around to face him, holding on to his packages under one arm. His other clutched his wand, ready to strike.

"I'll kill him now and get it over with!" Rodolphus announced, as he lifted his wand.

"Expelliamos!" Hermione commanded, throwing a stream of yellow magic, but Rodolphus blocked it and ran away.

Ron ran between Snape and Rabastan, allowing him to disapperate, escaping to the safety of Hogwarts. Rabastan, not yet seeing Ron, searched to see where the spell came from that had been meant for Rodolphus, but Hermione acted aloof, as though she were looking into the shop window. Ron punched Rabastan in the face with his fist, and Hermione sent a stunning spell, causing him to fall to the ground. They met in the middle of the street, standing over Rabastan. They were shaken from the incident, but glad they caught one of them.

"How did you miss Rodolphus, Hermione?" Ron scolded

Hermione looked at Ron's bleeding fist and held it up for him to see. "Are you _ever_ going to get a new _wand_?" Dropping his hand, she said, "At least we managed to get one of them!"

"What've you been doing? I thought you'd ditch Snape and follow me to George's shop." Ron scolded, wiping the blood from his hand onto his pants. He threw a spell that bound Rabastan's limp hands and feet together, getting him ready to disapperate to the Ministry to turn him in.

Hermione began laughing as she whispered, "Snape's got a _girlfriend_! I just helped him buy _clothes_ for her. He bought her _jewelry, too_ and he _spent _a _bundle_!" She put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath from her sudden outburst of laughter.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron gasped, grimacing, "Ewww! I think I'm gonna be sick! I wonder which _Troll_ _Colony_ she comes from."

"I don't know, but we are going to meet her tomorrow night at McGonagall's feast." Hermione replied, noticing reporters approaching. They grabbed on to Rabastan's feet, and quickly disapperated to the Ministry of Magic.

Hogsmeade was bustling with life as the wizarding community worked tirelessly to rebuild the damages caused by the recent Battle of Hogwarts. Walking through the village, Katie and McGonagall felt the weight of stares from the locals as they moved through. Katie was unnerved, and stayed close to McGonagall.

"Don't worry, Katie, they've just never seen two such beautiful women at one time!" McGonagall joked, taking Katie's arm.

Katie knew she was only joking, but realized some of the stares were unwelcome and heavier than others. The darkest stares came from those paying homage at the Shrieking Shack.

Picking up the pace, hurrying them past, McGonagall talked in a low voice, "Remaining followers believe this is where Voldemort was betrayed by Snape and they hold it as a shrine, in honor of their fallen Dark Lord."

Katie sensed the tension between the groups, as it became obvious to her that the local townspeople did not welcome the dark group of immigrants putting flowers at the fence of the Shrieking Shack. She got her first glance at the ones who hate Muggles, since they were the ones glaring at her as she walked past. One of the men sitting on the fence examined her thirstily, with fierce, red eyes. She shuddered, and focused her attention on the path ahead of them.

McGonagall insisted on their first stop being at Gladrags Wizardwear to buy Katie something else to wear. She knew Katie would be safer if she looked much less like a Muggle. Also, McGonagall was shocked to learn that Katie had been wearing the same clothes since her arrival. At first, Katie didn't want to accept the offer, but McGonagall insisted. After a defeated protest, Katie graciously accepted. She picked out underwear first, and then chose a black polished cotton halter top sundress, with a lightweight, matching sweater.

While McGonagall was paying for the clothes, Katie saw a heart shaped necklace that looked like a cloudy bubble. Reading the box, she learned that it was a _Miniseive, a hand blown glass locket that records memories, and plays them back, when warm. 5 Galleons._ McGonagall took the box from Katie's hands and gave it to the clerk, smiling as though she dared Katie to protest.

McGonagall demanded that Katie go to the dressing room and put on the new clothes before leaving the store, and she placed the bag containing Katie's old clothes into the trash bin on the way out. On the landing, Katie watched laughingly, and thanked her for the new ones. She held up her hair as McGonagall tied the locket around her neck, and bounded down the wooden steps. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, Katie put one foot up to retie her battered tennis shoe. McGonagall, rolling her eyes disapprovingly at the condition of them, started back into the store to purchase new shoes.

"No! Thank you, Professor! Please, you've done enough for me already. These are better for walkin' 'round in, and I'd really like to keep 'em, if it's ok with you." Katie pleaded, as she pulled the laces tight and stood straight.

McGonagall started down the steps and joked to Katie, "You look lovely, as though you're going to a tea party, but you have to walk through the mud to get there." McGonagall's face softened, finding Katie's appearance acceptable, and met her at the bottom of the steps. Handing Katie the Wizardwear bag containing the rest of her new undergarments, McGonagall was puzzled at her attachment to the shoes. As they continued down the High Street to The Three Broomsticks, they experienced less stares and glares.

"I noticed you are very tan and toned. Are you athletic?" Minerva asked, as they strolled.

"Yes, ma'am, I swim a lot. Since I was a teenager I worked during the summers as a lifeguard at the city pool and taught swimming lessons. I water ski competitively and enjoy waters sports whenever I get the chance. As a matter of fact, I had been swimming the day I...er..." They stopped at the entrance to the pub, and she didn't finish her sentence, knowing McGonagall did not yet know about the way she arrived at Hogwarts.

Entering The Three Broomsticks, they pushed their way through the crowd of hungry construction workers to the bar. Madam Rosmerta, carrying two platters mounded with chili cheese fries, saw them and nodded at McGonagall. Releasing the platters noisily onto a table crowded with men in hard hats, she motioned to a table in the back. As McGonagall looked, two men were leaving a table in the back corner, and she quickly pulled Katie along to claim it.

"Hello, Minerva," Rosmerta said, as she approached the table. "I'm serving chili cheese fries for lunch. How about a plate full?" Rosmerta approvingly looked at Katie.

"Yes, we will split a plate. I will have a chilled Butterbeer with a glass and _Katie_, who is visiting from the United States, will have an iced tea with lemon."

"I am Rosmerta. Glad to have you with us, Katie," she said, shaking hands with her. "I will be right back." She spun around to go back to the bar, zapping up dirty dishes with her wand as she went along.

"Thank you for ordering iced tea for me. How on earth did you know?" Katie asked, propping her elbows on the table.

"Believe it or not, I once visited your part of the world...I..." She stopped in the middle of her thought and looked at Katie's eyes as though she recognized something. "You remind me so much of..." She broke off again, interrupted by the quick delivery of their food and drinks.

Before McGonagall touched her food, she said apologetically, "Katie, I want you to know that I did not go into the Great Hall last night to spy on you and Severus." She poured the Butterbeer carefully into her frosty mug. "I heard the most _delightful music _and I simply _had _to find out where it was coming from. Was that you playing the piano last night?"

"Yes, ma'am, that was me. Thank you for the compliment." Katie blushed. "Yeah, um, I'm sorry 'bout that." She quickly busied herself by squeezing the lemon into her wet mug filled with sparkling ice tea. She sipped it through the straw and closed her eyes, savoring it. "This is the best tea I've had since I've been here. Thank you_ so_ _much_."

McGonagall never brought up the subject of walking in on them again, and they enjoyed a delightful time together eating the messy cheese fries, and discussing life. Katie told McGonagall all about her parents, and growing up musical in Mississippi. It was nice to have another female to talk to, and McGonagall quickly gained her trust. Katie took a deep breath and offered the information of how she came to be at Hogwarts, unintentionally not conferring what happens when she sings.

"So, that was _your_ book I saw in the Great Hall yesterday. That makes sense now. At first, I thought it was misplaced from the library, but the lock led me to believe otherwise." McGonagall concluded, sipping from her mug, momentarily studying Katie. "You will come to the feast tomorrow evening! McGonagall exclaimed. "Would you mind playing the piano for us afterward?"

"I'd like that very much! Thank you for invitin' me. Will Hagrid be there?" Katie asked.

"Yes! Of course! I want _everyone_ together for a good time!" Minerva clasped her hands together in excitement.

They walked out of The Three Broomsticks, laughing and making plans for the concert after the feast. McGonagall suddenly remembered from where she recognized Katie, and became deep in thought.

"I have one more stop to make and then we will return to the castle," McGonagall said, still looking at Katie. '_Uncanny_,' she thought, as she led them to the Hogs Head Pub.

Katie walked in first, seeing grime and dirt everywhere, as though it had never been cleaned. There were a couple of men sitting at the bar, doing shots, and an older couple sat at a table in the corner, playing Wizard's Chess. McGonagall chose a table closest to the front, in order to catch the draft as the door opened and closed. Aberforth Dumbledore, the bar keeper, and younger brother of Albus, approached the table. He cocked his head when he saw Katie, then glanced at the portrait of Ariana, his deceased younger sister. Turning his eyes to McGonagall, he asked all questions with his bewildered expression.

She introduced Katie to Aberforth, just as she had Madam Rosmerta, and began to comment on the similarities between Katie and Ariana. Katie agreed with the likeness, but silently thought it ridiculous, and became distracted by an old, dusty piano in the shadows of the corner. She had not yet sat at the table when she excused herself and sauntered over to it.

Grabbing the soiled rag that Aberforth used continuously to wipe the bar, Katie cleaned away the cobwebs and dusted a place off the bench on which to sit. She creaked open the lid and found a perfectly intact keyboard. It looked almost new and did not seem to belong to the rickety piano casing. She played a few warm up scales to get a feel for it and realized it was perfectly in tune, as though it had been waiting for her to come along and play it. She began playing the smooth, steady music of ragtime, and quickly drew a crowd.

Aberforth was impressed and placed a tip jar on top of the piano for Katie. The old couple dropped coins in it, smiling as they left, and McGonagall applauded proudly after each song. Katie hardly played through two more songs when the old couple returned with another couple and some younger friends. One of the friends was a handsome young man, about Katie's age, who put a shot of Firewhisky on the piano. Smiling at her as he dropped a handful of coins into the jar, the young man tossed a gold piece onto the bar, and left. Before McGonagall could protest, Katie laughed, swigging back the Firewhisky, without missing a note.

The pub quickly became crowded as word spread about the American piano player. The small pub was standing room only as two more men came in. They recognized Katie from walking past the Shrieking Shack earlier and ambled over to the piano where she was entertaining. One of them put his foot on the piano bench behind her, and the other leaned on the piano, both staring at her through bloodshot eyes. They were too close for her comfort, but she finished playing the last few measures of the song.

"Sorry, boys, it's time for me ta take a break," Katie said, closing the lid of the piano.

The man behind her leaned forward, and pressed his thigh on her back, placing his clammy palm on the middle of her exposed back. Leaning forward, he traced the veins on her throat with his finger, breathing on her neck. She felt his hot, putrid breath on her neck as he whispered, "Severus certainly has a succulent taste in women."

Glaring at him as he stood back up, she saw that the pupils of his eyes were red, and he smiled hungrily at her, exposing his yellow fangs through his grin.

Cold chills ran from her neck to the bottom of her feet as she tried to think of a way to escape him. "Yea, too bad I've got this scorching case of herpes and a bad case of the aids. Just can't get rid of 'em, ya know? The lesions just keep itchin' and itchin!" She said, rising from the piano and she turned to hurry to McGonagall's table.

Aberforth and McGonagall were still in conversation, blocked by the crowd, and did not see the dark figures harassing Katie. Two paces away from the piano bench, the man with putrid breath grabbed her arm and pulled her closely to him. She caught his hand and twisted his arm around to his back. The other one tried to grab her from behind. Still holding the first man, and without turning around, she broke the other man's nose with her free elbow. The first man was now begging her to let him go and the other was holding his painful, bleeding nose.

McGonagall and everyone in the crowded pub stopped their conversations to see the commotion. Hagrid arrived, wiping his shoes at the door to come in when he saw through the crowd the events taking place inside. He moved aside, holding the door open, just in time for Katie to shove both men outside. They missed the steps and landed on the ground, looking up at her in complete surprise.

With one hand on her hip, shaking her other finger at them, she hissed, "The next time you talk to a lady you'll need to remember some manners!"

The two men fled.

Katie turned around, brushing off her dress and rubbing her elbow. Everyone in the bar was staring at her, open mouthed. She acted as if nothing had happened and took a deep breath, announcing, "Thought the place needed a little cleanin' up!" She took a seat next to McGonagall.

McGonagall was speechless, and Hagrid's mouth was still gaping open. Applause broke out in the room. Katie, being a ham, stood and curtseyed laughingly. Katie winked at Hagrid and he smiled, applauding her. He then saw the portrait of Ariana and realized their similiarities. Katie caught him putting the two together, and rolled her eyes, as if it were absurd. Strolling over to the piano, she picked up the tip jar, and while crossing back across the room, people dropped more coins in it than it would hold, and Aberforth gave her a pouch to put all her money in.

On their way out of Hogsmeade, they caught a glimpse of the two vampires, lurking in front of the Shrieking Shack, and Hagrid insisted on walking the ladies back to the castle. As they journeyed, McGonagall invited him to the feast and he graciously accepted, but was distracted and concerned about what Katie had just done.

"You jes' got rid o' two known troublemakers. I've never seen 'em run like that from anything! They musta been there ter go ter the Shriekin' Shack with the other Vol...uh... You-Know-Who supporters. They know now that yer a Muggle and where yer stayin'." He was gravely concerned and kept a close watch for intruders until they were back on the protected grounds of Hogwarts.

They stopped walking to take a rest under the shade of a towering Oak tree. Katie plopped down and rubbed her throbbing elbow. As McGonagall lowered herself just in front of her, Katie dropped the coin pouch into McGonagall's bag, sure that no one had seen her actions.

Hagrid sat on the stump of one of the oldest trees on the grounds. It had to be cut down as a casualty of the war. Looking at Katie, still impressed with her way of handling the troublemakers, he asked, "Where'd you learn ter fight like that?"

"When you're a girl in a man's world, you gotta know how to defend yourself. Boys've been pickin' on me all mah life. I learned self defense the summer I played little league baseball. I was the only girl in the league and the boys hated it that I was better'n most of 'em." She smiled at Hagrid with self confidence.

"We better be gettin' on ter the castle. Snape was a little upset you weren't there when he got back. I came down ter look fer ye." Hagrid stood, brushed the grass from his trousers, and helped McGonagall to her feet.

"Oh, he'll get over it. I'll just show him the memory....My locket! It's gone! Dammit!" Katie felt her neck for it, wishing it to be there, and began back tracking, as if going back to Hogsmeade.

"Language!" McGonagall scolded. "Wait! Katie! Don't go back there. It's not safe for you! We can get you another locket!" She ran a few steps toward Katie. Hagrid caught her arm and held her back.

Katie stopped walking and slowly turned around, looking at Hagrid. "_Why_ am I in danger? Because I'm a_ Muggle_? So what? I haven't done anything to anyone since I've been here but _hide_...well...other than kicking those guys' asses today." She was becoming angry and full of questions that she knew she was deserving of an answer.

Katie, enraged, stormed toward the castle, throwing her arms in the air, asking questions and answering them all the way back. "We've got this shit in Mississippi. Ah've lived with discrimination all my life between black and white, the haves and the have-nots! Now it's magic versus Muggle! Ah can't _believe_ this shit! Ah can't even go to another country without this crayap! Why do we awl have this problem? Ignorance! That's exactly what it is! Just plain damn ignorance and ah'm so sick of it ah could just _puke_!"

McGonagall and Hagrid could do nothing, except listen and try to keep up with her brisk pace. "Why'd ya'll have that war? It was for racial purity and power, wasn't it? Of course it was! It's all about the power. It all goes back to plain damn ignorance. My favorite teacher in high school was almost killed by ignorance in my country because of his skin color!"

Climbing up the front steps of the castle, Katie flung open the doors, still ranting and raving. Snape looked confused at Hagrid, waiting for a clue as to what was wrong.

Hagrid put his finger to his lips to signal to Snape to not speak. The giant stopped next to Snape, and whispered behind his hand, "She's on a roll, just let 'er have 'er say."

Snape and Hagrid stood by the great door, hearing Katie's loud voice echoing in the corridors as she walked out the back, and into the garden. McGonagall followed her, leaving the two men behind. Sitting at the table, Katie finally calmed down and broke into tears.

"You are very passionate about this, aren't you, Katie?" McGonagall asked, patting Katie's arm. A house elf appeared from the castle, carrying a tray with refreshments and iced tea for Katie.

"Well, I never knew it until just now. I've always been appalled by discrimination in any form, but when it happens to you, it's a lot different." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Oh, well, I won't be here much longer, anyway. Thank you so much for today. I had a wonderful time. I'm sorry I got in a fight and lost the locket ." She swigged a mouthful of cold tea through the straw and swallowed hard.

"Katie, you are a delight. I hope Severus isn't too upset with me for taking you away today." McGonagall sipped from her teacup as the two of them giggled at what they thought his reaction would be.

"He didn't seem too upset a moment ago when I was ranting. I guess I was mad enough for everyone!" Katie smiled genuinely at McGonagall.

"Ahem!" Snape cleared his throat to announce his presence. He came from under an arched shadow behind them and somberly approached the table.

"Oh, Severus, I have had the pleasure of taking Katie with me to Hogsmeade today and she is an absolute treasure!" McGonagall praised. "I have invited her as myguest to the feast and she has agreed to entertain us after the meal. It will be the _dress rehearsal_ for her upcoming _recital_!"

Relieved to see her, Snape left behind the attempt on his life at Diagon Alley, as well as Hagrid's information about Katie fighting the two men. He smiled when he met her green eyes met for the first time all that day. Waves of redness washed over Severus as he blushed, seeing Katie in her crisp, new black sundress. She beamed at him and he could hardly look at her due to the memories of the night before playing out in his mind. She recognized it in his eyes and she laughed, tossing her head back, suddenly deliriously happy. He looked down at his hands and clasped them in front of him, continuing to blush.

McGonagall watched their silent conversation and understood completely how Severus felt. He was in love with this woman, who loved him back, and he was happy! She leaned forward, took Katie's hand in her right, his in her left, and squeezed them both.

"How _wonderful_," she said, her eyes glistening with joy.

They were interrupted by a house elf running toward them, wringing his hands. "Master! Come quick! Winky fell into the meat blade and we can't get her to stop bleeding! Oh, please hurry! Terribly weak, she is!"

Katie knocked over her chair as she jumped up to follow the elf. Snape ran in front and McGonagall puttered behind them, holding up the hem of her long, black dress as she attempted to run.

When Snape arrived in the kitchen, Winky's lifeless body lay on the hearth of the fireplace among several empty bottles of Butterbeer. Katie's sneakers squeaked as she ran through the door, trying to come to a stop. The sound caused all the house elves to shift their attention to her, getting their first real glimpse of the mystery woman. There was excited whispering among them when they saw her.

Snape waved his wand over the wound on Winky's frail arm, trying to close the gash. Katie watched and waited anxiously as he worked, but he was having difficulty making the bleeding stop.

"She is very weak, and highly intoxicated on Butterbeer. Her blood is extremely thin, and will not hold the spell to close the wound. There may not be enough blood left in her to save her life," he said somberly.

Winky opened her eyes half way.

"Did Winky's sewing please Katie?" She whispered.

Katie ran to her side, crying, "Yes! Oh yes, Winky! It was beautiful!" Katie cradled the elf in her arms, rocking her, and she became soaked in elf blood. Winky closed her eyes, letting out a long breath, and took in a shallow one.

"Is it too late, Severus?" McGonagall asked.

Snape lowered his head.

"No! No! No!" Katie wailed, touching Winky's face. "It's _not_ your time!" She insisted, rocking Winky in her arms like a small child. "I still feel her heart beating!" Katie gasped. Snape and McGonagall looked at one another and back at Katie.

Katie's voice broke and cracked as she began singing _You Are My Sunshine_ very softly. The light in the room grew brighter and strips of color began to ripple in from the windows. Ribbons of rainbows flowed into the room and danced around Winky's lifeless body. McGonagall put her hand to her mouth and gasped, witnessing the gash close on Winky's arm, as well as the normal greenish color of her skin returning. Snape watched Katie in disbelief , through black pools of watery eyes.

Winky opened her eyes as Katie continued singing. Katie felt a small hand on her face and opened her eyes to find Winky's huge eyes looking up at her.

"Katie made Winky feel better," she said in a weak voice.

McGonagall closed her mouth and lowered her hand to her chest. "Severus, we need to talk," she said low and stern.

Snape obediently followed McGonagall to the room outside the door of the kitchen. "That is no _Muggle_ in there, Severus!" She insisted.

"What else could she be, Minerva?" He asked. "There is no proof that she is anything but a Muggle!"

"Master Snape," one of the house elves bravely interrupted, "Katie is not well, sir!"

Katie felt suddenly exhausted and lay down on the floor. She curled up on her side, bent at the knees, clasping her hands around her legs. Snape panicked as he ran to her and knelt beside her.

"I'm really tired, Sev, I just need to rest a minute," she slurred, closing her eyes.

Snape picked her up and whisked her away to the tower. He laid her on his bed and hurried to the bookcase behind his desk. Taking one of the vials of Katie's rainbow, he mixed a potion to restore her strength, and ran to administer it to her. When he returned, he found her sleeping deeply, and she became momentarily disoriented when he woke her. Bolting upright, she became dizzy, and flopped back down onto the pillow, relieved when she heard his voice.

"Scourgify!" He commanded his wand. All of the elf blood disappeared and Katie felt as though she had just taken a bath.

"I have a potion for you, Katie. It will make you feel better." Snape said, helping her to sit up. He sat on the bed behind her, allowing her to lean back on him, and he handed her a clear goblet filled with purple ooze.

Katie took the glass and held it up to the light. She could feel saliva building in the back of her throat, as if she were going to be sick.

"Best to drink it quick," he instructed, rubbing her back.

"You wantme to drink this? Eww...I don't know 'bout _that_, Sev...What the hell is it?" She asked, grimacing.

"I will call it... _Katie's Song_," he said, giving her a squeeze.

"So, this is a tester? Oh, well, your potions haven't let me down yet," she said, sleepily. Katie toasted to the light and tossed the substance into her mouth, swallowing hard. She belched heartily and began to feel her energy returning. "Hmmm...that tasted like red hot Skittles!" She said, staring at the empty glass. Feeling relieved and relaxed, she judged from the after taste, that _Katie's Song _was a simple concoction of her rainbow music and Firewhisky.

Taking the goblet from her hand, he placed it on the night stand, where it disappeared. Leaning back, he pulled Katie's head onto his chest, and tried to make sense of all the day's events. Katie leaned on him like a pillow, holding his hand, as she stared at the candlelight, wondering how she was able to save Winky.

"How'd I do it, Sev? Can you tell me what's goin' on with me?" Her strength returned, but she was relaxed, enjoying the warmth of his affection and the elixir of the potion.

"I believe it may have been an added hex to the port key that brought you here. However, I do not understand what makes your music almost unrivaled in its power." They sat quietly thinking until they both fell fast asleep. He woke after only a half hour, and slipped from underneath her head, careful to not disturb her deep slumber.

Taking off her shoes, he sat next to her, holding the last one in his hands, watched her sleep. He studied the frayed laces and the worn down tread on the bottom. There was some kind of writing on the sides of the soles, but he could not make out what it said. Smiling at the absurdity of how much he knew she loved those sneakers, he put them neatly on the floor, and covered her with a light quilt.

"You are indeed a mystery, Katie Lee Hawkins from the south," he whispered. After kissing her gently on the forehead, he eased out of the room to allow her a peaceful sleep.

End Notes: Well, tell me what you're thinking right now!


	11. Chapter 11 Blood Oath

A/N: Please know that all mistakes are my own. In this chapter I quote JKR directly from the book. I notated that at the end of the paragraphs. If I do not have this referenced right, please DO NOT SUE ME! It's just that her words were perfect for the situation and I'm giving her full credit. They are hers!

Blood Oath

Katie awoke and looked at her watch. For a moment, she did not know if it was six thirty in the morning or at night, and she did not know if the sun was coming up or setting. After a wide yawn and a stretch, she walked into the sitting room and looked out the great window, trying to recover from the nap. Gloomy clouds blocked the remains of the daylight as low, rumbling thunder from the distance vibrated the glass.

Katie's thoughts drifted to the time when she would have to leave and return to her world. She decided she would go back just long enough to perform her recital, get her diploma, and settle her affairs. Afterward, she planned to return to the sanctuary of Snape's arms and find her role in the magic world.

Katie heard a 'pop' as Winky apperated next to her, giving her a start. "Would Mistress Katie like Winky to draw a bath for her?" Winky asked, desperate to do anything she could for Katie.

"Yes," she said as the elf trotted happily to the bath. "But first, tell me where Severus is!" Winky was already running the water and did not hear Katie's request.

"He's being questioned _right now_ by The Minister of Magic, himself, about _you_," bellowed Dilys Derwent, the woman in the portrait across the room from her.

Katie turned to face the portrait, stalking toward her, "What _about_ me?"

One of the male portraits, in a more sympathetic tone of voice, said, "It is true, Katie, they are talking to him now."

"But he didn't do anything wrong, did he?" She helplessly looked at the other portraits for answers.

Dilys Derwent spitefully said, "_You_, young lady, are what he did wrong. "_Muggles_ are _not allowed_ at Hogwarts. It is simply forbidden."

"She is _not_ a Muggle!" One of the male portraits spat out, covering his mouth after he spoke.

Another male portrait ran back to his empty frame, out of breath. "McGonagall told them she's not a Muggle! She saved Snape from being sacked! She told them all about the incident this afternoon with Winky, and Kingsley is not pursuing the matter!"

Winky appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, hearing the conversation between Katie and the portraits. She began to tremble at the thought of facing Snape's wrath that she had not followed his orders. He had specifically instructed her to tend to Katie without relaying any information about his meeting with the Minister, and had also been warned to not let the portraits talk openly.

"Where is Severus?" Katie nervously asked, approaching Winky.

Answering Katie's question as to Snape's whereabouts, she was careful to not lie. "Master Snape is in a meeting and sends word that he will be with Katie shortly."

"So, he's ok, right? I mean, he's not _really_ in any kind of trouble on my account, _is_ he?" Katie asked the cringing elf.

"Master Snape is in no trouble at the present time, Mistress Katie. He will be here soon." Winky's huge eyes were watery and scared as she spoke.

"Thank you," Katie said to Winky, genuinely grateful.

Katie thought Winky's paranoia was simply part of her house elf neuroses and headed to the bath, ceremoniously flipping the bird, with both hands to Dilys Derwent on her way in. Katie sang blissfully as she enjoyed the soothing fragrance of lavender bubbles and the refuge of the warm, healing water. She kept a close eye on the time, careful to not stay in the bath too long. As soon as she stopped singing, the rainbow figures glided to the walls and disappeared as the acoustics carried the last note away.

Mcgonagall and Snape stood just outside the entrance of the tower. She had followed him from the meeting, talking to him, while trying to keep up with his swift, stalking pace. "We _saw_ her save Winky with the powers of a _Prilyrist_! You should be very grateful that I saw it or I could not have saved your reputation a few moments ago." Wringing her hands, McGonagall was unusually worried about Katie's wellbeing. "Look at what happened to her, Severus, how weak she became! Had Winky been dead, she could not have brought her back. Had she tried, ignorant of the forces within her, it would have sucked the spirit out of her, leaving her with no passion and no will to live. It would be the closest thing there is to a _Dementor's Kiss_! For someone as spirited at she, death would be most welcome rather than live in a catatonic state. What if Winky had actually been dead, Severus? She cannot bring back the dead, and it could kill her to try!" McGonagall covered her mouth, gasping at the thought.

Entering the tower, Snape walked straight to the window and surveyed the room, hoping Katie was not within hearing distance of him. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, lost in his own thoughts, hardly listening to McGonagall. Thinking aloud, he said, "She has magic in her blood. I bottled her voice. She came from no where..._She has magic in her blood_!" Looking at McGonagall through slitted eyes, he asked in a firm tone, "How is this possible?"

McGonagall stared at him for a moment, as though she wanted to say so much more than she offered, as if she had the answer, but she did not give it. "She has to realize that while her gifts are significantly advantageous, they can be dangerous to her if she does not know how to use them properly! Listen to me, Severus, she does not understand what is happening to her. When she goes back..." She cautiously glanced at Snape. Despite knowing how thoughts of Katie leaving upset him, she continued, desperate for him to put together the pieces of the hints she was giving him. "When she goes back to her world, she will need to know how to control... it." McGonagall seemed to know more than she was letting on, but he could not pinpoint a valid reason for her to hide any information from him. "The portkey brought out her powers when she came here, but there is no guarantee that it will reverse when she returns to her life."

Ignoring Snape and McGonagall talking in the sitting room, Winky returned to the bath with Katie's new outfit cleaned and pressed, and placed the garments on a chair by the towel. Trotting happily to the door to exit, she turned to Katie, and said in her small voice, "Winky thanks Katie for her song." She closed the door carefully behind her, humming the tune _You Are My Sunshine_, slipping past Snape and McGonagall as she left. Katie thought about what happened with Winky earlier in the day, but still could not believe that she held such powers within her.

An obnoxiously shrill, high pitched voice came from the toilet area. "You can sing really pretty, you know? I _can't _sing...never could."

"Who's there?" Katie asked, looking around the room.

"I've been to the lake and I know what you are. They told me _all_ about you!" A transparent ghost, wearing the plaid skirt and blouse of a former Hogwarts student uniform, floated from the toilet to the spigot, and sat on it. Crossing her legs, she played with her long pigtails.

"Holy _shit_! Who the _hell_ are you?" Katie shouted.

"Moaning Myrtle." She giggled. "_They_ said _you_ understand them."

"Who? Who the hell are you talking about?" Katie demanded, gathering bubbles around her.

Moaning Myrtle flew around the room, shrieking in a most obnoxiously shrill voice. "The Merpeople. I go to the lake sometimes and they talk to me. I know why you're here, but I'm not supposed to tell you," she taunted, laughing hysterically. "_You_ have the powers of music. Aren't _you_ the _lucky one_?" She landed again on the spigot. "The others want you dead, though. It would be a _shame_ if something should _happen_ to you_. Everyone_ knows how you beat up the two _vampires_ today. They're out there telling _everyone else_ what you did and they're _coming_ for you." Myrtle giggled and noisily plunged into the toilet.

Unnerved and shaking, Katie climbed out of the bath and wrapped the big, fluffy towel around her, gathering her clothes into her arms, with the purpose of leaving the bathroom as quickly as possible. She hesitated on her way out when she heard voices coming from the sitting room. Putting her ear to the crack, she strained to hear the conversation between Snape and McGonagall. Their voices were muffled, and she could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying as Myrtle continued to plunge noisily in and out of the toilet.

In the other room, Snape walked to the window and put his hands on either side of the frame, looking outside, and gravely said, "The risk is too great and there is no time to teach her twenty six years of magic. If she _is_ a Prilyrist, as you say, her life is in more danger than I originally thought. Should she be caught by Death Eaters, they would slay her for her heart. An offering of an entity so pure has the potential to summon the darkest of all magic." Eying McGonagall, he faced her with the utmost suspicion and scowled at her. "However, I believe it is highly unlikely that she have such powers since one must be born of... _Pure Blood_... to receive the gift." Moving closer to her, he asked firmly, in a deeper voice, "What makes _you_ so sure she _is _a Prilyrist?"

McGonagall replied in a loud, gasping whisper, "I _cannot _tell you that!" She stopped speaking and her ancient, blue eyes were searching. Wringing her hands, she looked over her shoulder and whispered, "I am bound by a B_lood Oath! _If you could find out the wish she made you may be able to help her more than you know. Without it, the port key will not work and she will not be able to return to her world nor back to Hogwarts!"

Looking deeper into his menacing expression, she blocked his attempt to pry into her mind with his use of Legilimens. "That will not work on me, Severus! Use your skill of Legilimens on Katie, if you must. Do what you have to do to help her!"

Snape knew that if McGonagall broke the blood oath, it would bring a torturous death to her where she stood, as well as the other party. He considered her suggestion of a Legilimens session with Katie, thinking there had to be more in her head than pretty colors floating about. If he could not find out the information from Legilimens, he was certainly going to do what it took to keep Katie safe, even if it meant losing her forever.

A cold wave of anguish struck his chest as he thought of living one moment without her nearby. Looking out the window, he saw a flock of blackbirds fly from the trees toward the setting sun. Watching them take wing, he heard Katie stirring in the bathroom. Without turning around to address McGonagall, he groused, "Should this information leave Hogwarts, the Death Eaters will hunt her down to remove her heart from her body. It could possibly give them the power to create a new... _Dark Lord_."

McGonagall walked to the door and looked back at Snape in horror. She swung it open and gasped. Holding a handkerchief to her face, she quickly exited, closing the door softly behind her.

Snape remained at the window, staring beyond his reflection, and into the rain pouring into the oncoming darkness outside. He felt his soul sinking as he considered the possible dangers of Katie being a true Prilyrist. As far as the wizarding world was concerned, she was known as a Muggle. He needed to find out who Katie's parents were and why she was raised in the United States instead of the wizarding community.

The fragrance of Lavender filled the room as Katie's arms gently came around his waist from behind. He felt the huge knot she had tied with the towel pressed between his back and her body as she squeezed him. He was paralyzed with the reality of the inevitable heartbreak of letting her go, and he was unsure if he could survive her absence if he could not help her. However, he knew that whatever the outcome, she would be safe at her home in Mississippi. At that moment, he thought it best to simply send her back.

"Are you in trouble 'cause of me?" Asked Katie, squeezing him with her face buried in the middle of his back.

He felt her voice tingling down his vertebrae. As wonderful as she felt next to him, he could not control the familiar feelings of coldness and bitterness taking him over. Not responding to her touch, he found it easier to shut himself away in his dark and lonely, hostile cage, that until less than a week before, had been his world. He snapped around, grabbing her arms, and prepared his mouth to affront her with harsh words, but he could not do it. Knowing he could not part ways with an argument, he held her arms, desperately pleading with his sunken black eyes.

Perturbed at how he gripped her arms, she was ready to defend herself. Glaring at his hands, she firmly cautioned, "I just need to ask you what the _hell_ is goin' on in your head right now?" Abandoning all hostility, he released her arms from his grip, and reeled her into him, holding her as if she would slip away.

Taking a deep, apologetic breath, he imploringly exhaled. "I need for you to remember the wish you made that brought you here." Looking into her eyes, his voice broke as he spoke. "When it comes time for you to leave, you will have to remember the wish that brought you here, word for word, or there will be no chance of you coming back to this place. The portkey will close forever if you break a single one of the rules placed upon it."

Stepping back, her eyes grew larger and her face became wrought with unyielding sadness, as she replied, "I just don't remember. I've been trying and trying to remember, but I honestly...can't." Pulling the towel tighter, her voice quivered as she talked. "There was a ghost in the bathroom just now. She scared the _hell_ outta me. Said her name was Moanin' Myrtle and that _they're_ comin' after me. Who does she mean by _they_? The guys whose asses I kicked today?"

Snape's heart almost stopped beating, becoming winded, knowing that Myrtle also had a connection with the Merpeople, who he was most certain knew of Katie's powers. He also knew the Death Eaters would certainly know about her if her brawl from earlier made headlines. However, he knew of no evidence to support the possibility of Death Eaters coming for Katie as of yet.

"Those two men today were vampires, Katie. You are very lucky to have escaped them. Hagrid told me what you did and it was very courageous, but also very dangerous. Remind me to never upset you in any way." He managed a half smile.

"Ah don't take kindly to strange men puttin' their hands on me and handlin' me like ah'm a piece 'a raw meat! _Vampires_?" Katie felt a shockwave of chills going up her spine and down her arms as she tried to rub them away. "Ah can still feel his b-breath on mah n-neck and his clammy h-hand on mah back!" She shuddered.

"Yes, Katie. Vampires!" he replied. Changing his mood, he thought of the image of the Vampire close to her. "He _touched_ you?" Snape hissed, and clasped his hands, making one large angry fist in front of him. "I will kill him myself!"

Pacing, he slowly calmed as he continued to make his point with Katie. "While I believe your self defense methods are extremely effective, you must be careful in the future to _not_ leave the castle _unescorted_. It was irresponsible for Minerva to take you away from here today." Again furious, rubbing his forehead, he quizzed, remembering the meeting. "Now they talk of a disease you have. Is this true?"

Katie thought for a moment and remembered telling the vampire she had Herpes. "No! Ah told him ah had this horrible sexual disease so he wouldn't bite me...or hit on me anymore!" She became limp from laughter as Snape smoldered, enraged.

"Everything is not a joke!" His eyes blazed anger as he raised his voice, "Those two are only part of a larger group known as Death Eaters who promote violence and hatred. They are ruthless killers seeking revenge for the death of their leader as well as a growing hatred for Muggles and Mudbloods. And yes, you gave them reason to turn their heads toward your ..._Muggle _blood! Your life is _certainly_ in danger as long as you remain here!" Turning to the window, lowering his voice, he continued. "You are only safe on the grounds of the castle."

Katie's face was red with fury and confusion as she put both hands on the mantle, leaning on it. "Ok, then, Severus, explain_ this_ one to me. Myrtle said that ah've got some kind of musical powers. The Merpeople said it, too, remember? It has something to do with peace. What am ah supposed to do? Put up posters and hug trees? Ah care about the issues regardin' discrimination, but I don't even understand the friggin' enemy! Vampahrs? Death Eaters? How the hell do you fight an enemy you don't even know? And what does mah voice have to do with it all?" Looking down, she said sadly, "Ah can only sing _here_, anyway. Back home ah'm just...well...not good enough."

Katie stood, shaking with fear and rage. "What does it matter if I remember the wish or not? If I go back and can't return here, I'm lost. If I stay here, I'm as good as dead, well, eventually." Turning to face Snape, she fixed her eyes on his with ardent trust.

"There is a way I may be able to help you, but it is a legally restrictive magical practice." He said gravely, turning away.

"You mean it's_ illegal_?" She asked, playfully acting naïve. "Let's do it!"

"This is not a joke!" He shouted as he whirled around. Lowering his

voice, he lectured, "The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing... It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly."(JKR)

"OK. So this is a mind reading thing." She said, trying to understand.

"Read it, control it, _unhinge_ it. In the past it was often the Dark Lord's pleasure to invade the minds of his victims, creating visions designed to torture them into madness. Only after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony, only when he had them literally begging for death would he finally...kill them." (JKR)

Katie retreated from him a few steps, shuddering. "Is this one of those secrets you didn't want me to know about? Have _you_ ..._tortured_ people with it?" Her teeth chattered, suddenly feeling a frigid draft in the castle. She tremored at the thought of such unspeakable things, and she sat on the chair next to the fireplace, terrified.

Softening his voice, he noticed she was quivering and fearful, clutching her clothes in her arms. "No, I have never tortured. I have only used it when it has been necessary. It is imperative that you understand the power of Legilimens before you agree to it."

"Incendio!" He bellowed, his voice thundered in the room, commanding immediate flames to spring forth in the fireplace.

Katie recoiled, snarling at him. "Could you just let me know before you _fuckin_' do that?" The reflection of the fire flickered in her eyes, as if setting off a flame within her.

Surprisingly electrified at the use of her authority, he continued explaining Legilimens. "The potential for obtaining access to your subconscious exists, but..."

Interrupting him, she stood as she decidedly said, "If there's a chance you can help me, then let's just do it." She thought for a second, looking into his eyes with unwavering trust. "Ah've done some pretty stupid shit, Sev...You can see ..._everything_?"

"Yes, unless there is a deep, dark secret you do not wish for me to view, you may easily block it," he informed.

"Sev?" She asked softly. "Ah more than trust you to do this, but you may not like me as much when you're done pokin' around in my head. Just know that ah love you and ah'll be the same person you see right now when this is over." Dropping her towel, she said, "No secrets."

Her whimsical nature distracted him, capturing his attention, as well as his imagination. Desperately craving her affection, he regrettably suppressed his desires for her at that moment, knowing there could be nothing in her memory that would keep him from loving her. Quickly pulling his cloak around her bare, chilled skin, he reeled her in to him, clinging to her. He saw their reflection in the window and etched it in his memory as a perfect photograph to place in his penseive. Knowing he could not live a moment without her, he was adamant to cross the threshold of her memories and unlock the secrets of her subconscious mind. He vowed to find the answers and seek a way to be together, regardless of the cost.

She sat on his chair in front of the fire with her hands in her lap. He thought she looked just as she had the night they drank Firewhisky. Less than a week before, she wore the very same oversized robe, crying uncontrollably with tearstained cheeks. How he had longed to hold and comfort her that night. This time, however, she was not crying at all. Instead, she was willingly allowing him access to the most private and intimate parts of her life.

"This will not be difficult since you are a willing subject," he said, unrolling a cloth tube of strange, shiny tools that looked like surgical instruments.

Katie's eyes grew large when she saw them, "Is this gonna _hurt_?"

He picked a medium sized implement with a pointed tip and held it up to the light, circling it around to test it out. Turning to her, he pointed it toward her head, and mumbled, "This shall do nicely."

She contorted her face as if he was going to smite her with it. He watched her squirming and grimacing for a moment and thought how funny it was that she had begged him to not shoot her with his wand the first night she arrived, and she now had no idea what he was going to do to her. To his amusement, she sat willingly helpless, offering her vulnerability to him as a gift, uncaring of what the procedure entailed. Dropping the tool to his side, he laughed out loud. She looked at him with one eye open and glared at him.

"Is it over? Was that _it_?" she asked, relaxing, looking around, as if something in the room would be different.

"I'm sorry to laugh at you, Katie, but you are my delight. No, we have yet to begin...and no, it will not hurt. Just relax and open your mind to me. I will not even have to touch you. Ready?"

Relaxing in the chair, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Holding the steel wand high above his head, he commanded, "Legilimens!" He threw the power of the wand to her, but before he had completed the word, he was already inside her head, pulled in by her affection for him.

As he entered, he felt a friendly entity, much like a guide, take his hand and welcome him down the path of her experiences. He was overwhelmed at the tenderness she held for him. Her internal happiness and love was infectiously warm and he wanted to stay there forever. In one instant, he experienced every nurturing element from her loving parents that made her who she was, instantly relieving him of a childhood of abuse and neglect. For every hug he did not get from his brutal parents, she gave him a hundred times over. As he began his quest inside her core, he found that her most significant memories and feelings now included him and he knew, without a doubt, that she had chosen him, above all others, and loved him unconditionally.

The first memory he saw was of a car traveling down a busy freeway somewhere in the United States. There was a man and a woman in the front seat. The woman turned around, and was on her knees, tending to a baby in the back seat. Something struck the car, shattering all the glass, crushing and killing the couple in the front. Moments later, a rescue worker pulled the crying baby out of the wreckage.

Flashing forward, he saw a sweet little girl with blonde hair, missing her front teeth, standing in front of a floor length mirror. She had on a blue and white smocked front dress and black patent leather shoes. Tying a large, red grosgrain ribbon into a bow in Katie's hair, her mother smiled into the mirror at her, saying _I love you_. Her mother hugged her and kissed her, encouraging her. The memory moved fast forward and the little girl was on a large, polished stage, sitting on a bench, her feet dangling from it in front of a long, black piano. He saw her hands shaking and the determination on her face, as she played a simple piece, using one small finger at a time. Her father called to her from the audience, and tossed her an oversized bouquet of flowers he had picked from their yard, as he gloated and applauded her.

Katie, now older, and holding a bat, is determinedly looking over her left shoulder at someone. She is blowing a big, pink bubble from her mouth as she swings the bat, smacking the ball, causing it to sail over the fence. She runs briskly, causing clouds of white powdered lines on top of red dirt to explode under her feet as she ran. She runs around the first white square, the second, and the boy at the third white square trips her purposefully, causing her to fall, and he laughs. She gets up, bleeding from her elbows, covered in sweat and red dust, determinedly running to the pentagon from where she hit the ball, and scores the winning point for her team. The people in the stands are cheering, but Katie angrily sprints back to the boy and throws a punch, knocking him to the ground. Shortly after, she is sitting in the shade of a tent, her arms crossed, and crying. Her proud father consoles her as he half heartedly reprimands her for fighting. Her mother pets and loves her, wiping away the mixture of red dirt, sweat, tears, and blood with a towel. She tells Katie all the reasons she should never hate.

He moves forward a few years in her life as the next memory appears, seeing a young teenage Katie wearing a shiny pink dress at a formal dance. She is smiling at the boy from the ballgame through her mouthful of braces. He leads her to the floor for a slow dance. He put his hands where they should not be, taking her off guard. Katie slaps him and storms away, angry. Later, the boy corners her in the bathroom as his friends stand guard of the door. The boy tries to rip her dress from her shoulders, but she escapes them as she knees him in the crotch, hits one boy in the head with her purse, and elbows the other in the nose.

A few years later, Katie is slaloming behind a ski boat full of her friends. The boy from the dance is skiing from a boat next to her, and he tries to spray her, she flips him the bird as she jumps the wake, but he loses control and bounces across the waves, floating face down. Katie lets go of her rope, coming to a standstill, and sinks into the lake, pulling her foot from her ski. She leaves it floating as she swims to the boy, turning him upright by his life vest against the huge waves of her boat returning. Seeing a gash in his forehead, she realized he had been knocked out by one of his skis, she helps him to breathe again. Looking in every direction, his companion is nowhere in sight as her friends circle around in the boat and help her pull him in, taking him from the lake to the hospital. His father is irate and yelling at having been called to the hospital and having created medical bills. Embarrassed by his father's behavior, the boy hates her for saving him, returning him to his miserable life.

A couple of more years whirl by as he sees formal dresses, piano competitions, and her first date. He stops in a dismal hospital room, watching Katie blowing out sixteen candles on a cake. Her mother proudly gives her a box wrapped in white shiny paper with a red ribbon tied around it. Katie smiles beautifully as she opens the package and he sees that she no longer has braces on her teeth. Holding up the gift from her mother, Snape recognizes the new blue and white sneakers as the ones she now is never without.

He sees Katie two days later nervously twisting her long ponytail wearing a black dress, sitting uncomfortably at a graveside. Many people crowded the ceremony, all bundled in dark coats protecting them from the cold February wind. He sees her eyes sadly watching a mahogany casket being lowered into the ground among a sea of perfect white and yellow flowers from their garden. Katie takes the red grosgrain ribbon from her hair and drops it into the grave, walking away inconsolable under her father's arm.

A few years further into her memory, he sees her singing the _National Anthem_ in High School at a pep rally. The same boy, now older, ran onto the stage and pointed a gun to the teacher sitting right behind her. The bullet should have gone into his head at point blank range, but missed him, changing directions, going straight through the ceiling. Snape saw that she had blocked the memory from herself, as it was one of her worst, and had not thought of the incident since it happened. The only thing she allowed her memory to recall was taking down the boy and getting the gun away from him as he pointed it to his own head, ready to pull the trigger.

The next day she stayed after class to speak to the teacher about what had happened. She was surprised to find him having compassion for the boy, especially since the reason for the attempted murder was because the teacher was black. He laughed at Katie's confusion when she admitted she thought the reason the boy wanted him dead was because he flunked him in English Literature. He went on to tell her about what he knew of the boy's abusive father and miserable home life. The boy had already apologized to the teacher the night before, when he went to visit him in jail.

As Snape witnessed this memory, he realized that Katie excelled in his class and understood her reverence for him as a teacher. When he randomly asked for her shoes, she did not protest nor question his request. Instead, she sat on the chair next to him, removed them from her socked feet, and handed him both blue and white tennis shoes her mother gave her.

Without speaking, the teacher took out a black permanent marker, and wrote all around the white soles, "Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it." Holding up the shoes, he said, "Miss Hawkins, it is as though Dr. King wrote these words for you. Wherever these shoes take you on your journey after graduation, I believe your love of humanity will protect you like magic. May peace continue to follow you every step of _your_ _life_. Thank you for saving _mine_." He was the only person to have realized it was Katie's powers that saved him from the bullet.

That fall, Katie tearfully left home for college. After a few months, he sees her no longer crying, but wearing dark sunglasses at a crowded outside sporting event, jumping up and down, and spilling her drink on a young man, laughing. She apologizes, but he cannot take his eyes from her. Their team scores, and he turns to see what happened. Thousands of people are cheering "Hotty Toddy! She is in the highest of spirits and hits hands in the air with him in celebration, carelessly spilling more of her drink all over him. Later that evening, she is enjoying herself at a victory party when the same young man approaches her, introduces himself, and asks her on an outing.

Moving forward in time a few years, she is standing on a stage in a large auditorium, in front of a grand piano, singing pleasingly to five people in the audience. They are writing on clip boards, not looking at her as she performs. After she finishes, she remains on the stage, taking brutal comments, but does not cry. When they are done, she leaves the stage, running into the alley and kicks the dumpster, crying brokenheartedly. Soon, the young man rushes outside to comfort her in his arms, kissing and loving her.

Months pass and Katie enters her apartment early, sick and missing class. She finds her young man in the bedroom with a girl she knows. Dropping her books, she runs to the closet, pulls out her baseball bat, and starts swinging at them. They run from the apartment, covered only in sheets. Katie pulls the diamond from her finger and flushes it down the toilet. The thriving hanging plant over the sink withers and dies instantaneously, but Katie does not notice. While she is somewhat heartbroken, she seems more relieved to be rid of him.

Flashing five years forward, he sees her speeding down the highway crying, while driving at night in a downpour. It is raining so hard, she can hardly see to drive. She stops the car in front of the hospital, parking illegally, leaving it running with the door open, as she sprints through the emergency room door. Bumping into a woman carrying a tray of white Styrofoam cups full of ice, the cups spill and she almost slips and falls before bracing herself on the nurse's desk. They tell her which room her father is in and she hurries to find him, only to be stopped from entry by a doctor and a nurse telling her he that he has passed away. In disbelief, she breaks through them and enters the room in time to see the doctors pulling the sheet over her father's head. Falling to her knees, distraught with grief, she is coolly tended to by hospital staff, who simply want her to leave. A few days pass and she is alone at his graveside after the funeral. She drops an armful of his favorite enormous yellow flowers from his garden into his grave. She turns and walks away alone, wearing the shoes her mother gave her.

Three months later he sees that she is sitting in a tiny practice room at the University of Mississippi. There was only room enough for a black upright stage piano, a bench, and a window. She had been practicing for her piano recital and was exhausted. It was 11:00 at night and she was the last remaining person in the building. The lights had been flickering off and on for a half hour because of the oncoming southern storm.

Distracted from her practice with flooding memories, she succumbed to thoughts of her parents. Alone in the world, she only wanted to play the piano and sing; the two joys left in her life. Outside, the rain tapped the glass and she propped her head on her hand, leaning on the window sill. She traced a drop of rain with her finger as it scattered down the cold pane, splashing into darkness.

After stuffing all her books into her bag, she glanced at the package, remembering her father's attorney presenting it unceremoniously to her earlier in the day. His office had been stuffy, with portraits of former law partners in the main entrance to the firm. She was glad to be gone from that place, as she remembered feeling as though she was being watched. Snape saw Albus Dumbledore as the one watching the scene hidden as one of the portraits in the main entrance to the law firm.

The book was wrapped in brown timeworn parchment and bound with twine. She guessed it was an old box containing trinkets her father thought were valuable. _His idea of value was mostly based on sentiment, rather than gold_, she thought. Holding it on her lap, she carefully untied the knotted twine and let the parchment fall to the floor. She held in her hands a small locked book with a binding so old the leather cracked. She could not read the title because it looked as if it was written in another language, and the pages were yellowing and starting to crumble. Wiping the particles of degenerated parchment on her jeans, she clicked the latch, but the book would not open.

"Broken," she aloud. Studying the back of it she saw a circular gash with a grayish marking. Laughing, as if sharing a joke with her father, she said aloud, "Dad always did like old junk. I wish _this_ was all it took to make _me_ happy."

Boom! The thunder directly overhead made her jump as the lights went completely out. The explosion rattled the window and shook the ground. The piano sounded as if all the keys had been played at once. She felt herself whirling around, being sucked out of the room through a tunnel. She was sure it was a tornado, but never felt pain and didn't lose consciousness. In the tunnel she saw images of people she did not know, and they waved at her as she traveled through. She did not see the blinding flash of light when she disappeared. Leaving behind the piano, the bench, and overtones echoing in the piano strings, she woke on the floor of his bathroom.

Retreating from Legilimens, the spirit of a familiar, trusted acquaintance pulled him back into her mind, and disappeared after ordering him into the abyss of her most shrouded memories. The first layer was her most recent subconsciously stored experiences and thoughts. He physically began to feel her struggle as she pulled him from the lake and onto the green grass. In the pit of his stomach he felt her sadness and panic when she thought he was dead. He experienced her determination as she pumped his heart and breathed life into him. It was the moment he began coughing and breathing that she chose him above all others. Realizing she not only wanted to save him for the sake of being human, her prime directive was wishing him alive to love forever. A gush of warmth overtook him as she kissed him in the green grass of the lakeside, and made love to him after playing the piano in the Great Hall. Leaving the first layer, propelling to what lay beneath, he glimpsed at her fantasies. Seemingly giggling thoughts in the shadows of her subconscious were fleeting desires for their intimate future. Some of them, he thought, might just be globally illegal.

Pulling away from the pleasure center of her mind, he encountered her innermost subconscious layer, a hidden cove, guarded by a blinding, vivid prism. The familiar spirit that sent him to this part of her mind removed the object, revealing Katie as an infant. As the colors moved aside, he saw an old man with a long beard, wearing overalls and a large brimmed straw hat. A silver tabby cat meowed restlessly and rubbed around his ankles. He recognized the old man as Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall in her Animagus form as a cat.

Dumbledore coddled a cooing infant wrapped in a soft pink blanket. He handed it to the nervous young couple she later came to know as her parents. Dumbledore also presented them with a package twined with parchment and gave them stern directives for its use. Tipping his hat, he and the tabby vanished, leaving the couple happily content with their new daughter. The spirit guiding him and ordering him in her mind, shut off the memory and showed himself as a winking Albus Dumbledore.

Seeing Dumbledore forced Snape out of Legilimens. He glanced up at Dumbledore's picture, but he was not there. Snape remembered seeing McGonagall's Animagus running from the tower as Harry walked him up the stairs after having been in the hospital. He had not thought of it since it happened.

For the time being, he was exhausted and awestruck, staring at Katie, more in love with her than he ever thought possible, and felt as though he was a better person for having been one with her memories. He had the feeling of a protective residue from her spirit still within him, as though she had bathed him in her feelings of goodness, giving him a tangible connection to her psyche. He sat motionless on the table in front of her, with his black eyes fixed on hers, waiting for her to open them.

"Is it over?" She asked weakly, looking around the room.

He got to his knees in front of her, filled with relief for having seen the memory containing her wish, yet painfully sober with a secret that would devastate her. He softly spoke. "I saw your memory, Katie. You _did not know_ you were wishing. I saw your wonderful life. You _love_, Katie. _That_ is your defense! You are good and wholesome, intact, and fair. Compassion is your armor, and your musical talent is your weapon." Holding her hands, he kissed and squeezed them, feeling light and grateful for the liberation of his personal lifetime of sadness.

Katie laughed, thinking him ridiculous, having no recollection of anything he experienced in her memory. She shivered from within, as if half of her body temperature had just stepped away from her. Snape's warm face soothed her cold hands as he kissed them.

From the corner of his eye, she saw Dumbledore return to his portrait, breaking into an approving smile, as though he knew something wonderful and secret. For a moment, he thought he may tell all, but he simply smiled and looked at the other portraits, mentally conveying his information. Dilys Derwent looked at Katie apologetically and the other portraits breathed sighs as Snape understood that Dumbledore and McGonagall were responsible for her landing in his chambers, and not somewhere else. Thinking silently, he could hardly believe that _Dumbledore could still be so manipulative as to...maneuver fate in order to introduce him to Katie._

"Katie, you deserve better than a bitter, hateful, old wizard. Why did you choose me?" Asking her the question, he exhaled and laid his head on her lap, feeling her fingers in his hair.

"Listen," she said, becoming alert. "_Please_ don't start that '_you're too good for me' shit _right now. I'm hungry, Sev, let's order up some room service."

He laughed, simply happy to be with her, and in a low voice said, "Yee haw".

______________________________________________________________________________

End Notes: If you have any suggestions as to how I can better reference JKR's quotes, I'd love to hear them so I may do it properly. Thank you for reading my story. Please leave some feedback!


	12. Chapter 12 Tabloids

Tabloids

Katie would be leaving in two days time and Snape wanted to make every moment of their time together memorable. They planned out their remaining hours carefully as they snuggled until mid morning. Staring at the same spot on the ceiling, they became lost in silent, fleeting moments of the dread of parting. However, there was bliss in one another's arms as they remained somewhere between asleep and awake.

"We can simply stay _exactly_ where we are until it is time for you to leave." Snape twisted a long lock of her hair around his fingers as he thought aloud.

"K." She whispered, contently lying on his arm, halfway asleep.

"Katie." He spoke her name as a statement. "I have lived a lifetime during the past five days. The first time I can remember ever being grateful for anything was the night you came here. When you return to me, I will take care of you and protect you as long as I live and breathe. I have come to know you and now I feel something more powerful than any magic I know. I cannot imagine living a single day without you."

He stopped twirling her hair through his fingers, becoming still and quiet, lost in thought. Taking in a long deep breath, he exhaled, saying easily and tranquilly, "I _love_ you, Katie." Saying it aloud made him feel powerful and he had never in his life been so content just breathing. He now understood why Katie made them stop walking to enjoy the moment the morning after spending the night at Hagrid's hut.

She rolled onto her side to look into his eyes, and whispered without blinking, "I trust you...With my life." She laid her head back on his arm as he brought his other one around her. "I love you, too, Sev. You're all I need."

Hearing her say the words was splendor for him, but the guilt of harboring the secret of her true family tormented him. He knew how much she trusted him, and he was determined to find out everything about her lineage before delving into the subject with her. He was sure that Dumbledore and McGonagall put Katie in his life, almost as a gift. On the other hand, Dumbledore always had a way of knowing the answers, yet he forced the seeker to figure everything out for himself. McGonagall would simply have to come forward with information, Blood Oath or not.

Katie slipped from beneath the cushy comforter and began putting on her clothes. "Ah need ta get with McGonagall about tonight's program. Ah promised ah'd find 'er this mornin' ta tawk about it. This means a lot ta her...Me playin' at the dinner 'n all, and ah don't want to disappoint 'er. She's really been lookin' forward ta this."

Playfully scolding her, he commented, "Your southern accent is showing. I have noticed that it is most prominent when you are distressed." He greedily watched her put on each article of clothing.

"No. Well. Yeah. Kinda. Ah've got a really weird feelin'. Ah guess ah'm gettin' a little nervous 'bout bein' _on_ for these people tonight. Ah don't know any of 'em and ah want to make a good impression for _you_." She sat on the bed to tie her shoes and rose from the bed, turning around to say something.

Grabbing her hand, he tugged, pulling her back down onto the bed, bouncing and screaming with delight. "It will be an honor to introduce you. You will be _brilliant_." After kissing her deeply, he saw a tear escape her eye.

Sadly looking up at him, her green eyes searched his soul. "Sev, I don't wanna go. Back, I mean. I don't think I can be away from you, not even for a day." She touched his chest, waiting for his response.

"That is a decision only you can make. I have been inside your thoughts and I know how important it is that you finish what you started. Just come back to me, I beg you."

Snape got dressed and escorted Katie to the Great Hall for a late brunch. They held hands, enjoying the folly of new love as he sipped tea and she drank coffee. The house elves serving them smiled as Katie thanked them for every refill or service they offered. They could not work hard enough for her and she thought they were funny. Snape, however, ignored them, as he could not take his eyes off Katie, still feeling the night before.

"What will you play tonight?" He asked, propping his chin on his elbow, leaning on the table.

"I think I'll do the Liszt. I need to perform it a few times to really make it mine. It's the most difficult piece I've ever done. I've been workin' on it for five years."

She put her coffee cup on the table, released his hand, and reached for her bag to pull out the music. She produced a thin booklet with curled pages and multitudes of what he recognized as music notes, but they mostly looked like ink blots to him.

Snape conjured the grand Steinway with a flick of his wand. Excited, Katie clutched the tattered book to her chest, grabbing her bag, and bounded over to the piano. She began playing fast scales and finger exercises; going into a medley of bits and pieces of fun tunes she loved to play, ranging from the Ole Miss Fight song to Jazz to Bach, telling redneck jokes in between. He recognized only a few of the melodies from living his childhood in the Muggle world, but he thoroughly enjoyed her playing, thinking her brilliant and entertaining. She stopped playing after the last fun song and flipped through the pages of her Liszt, preparing to practice.

"_Sing_ something for me, Katie." His deep voice commanded the quiet of the large room.

Katie immediately put down the Liszt and played the introduction to _Somewhere Over the Rainbow _as Snape applauded. "I believe I am familiar with that one!"

She sang in torch song style with a crystal clear voice as she accompanied herself on the piano. The song was a light jazz arrangement that did not vary far from the original tune, but fit the mood of an upscale piano bar.

The indoor shutters closed on all the windows, blocking out the inside light as the enchanted ceiling displayed a perfect night sky, complete with shooting stars. Out of nowhere, a single spotlight landed on Katie, and smaller spotlights hit a giant, suspended mirror ball, slowly spinning, as it reflected small circular patterns of light to all corners of the Great Hall. The castle ghosts brought friends, and slow danced together, hovering just above the floor.

Having been inside Katie's memories the previous evening, Snape had seen for himself the disrespectful way men had treated her, and knew for certain that he was the only man she had ever truly loved. During Legilimens, he had graciously accepted her subconscious gift of an unusual connection to her emotions. The connection lingered with him physically, similar to an evening's drizzle of fresh dew.

Experiencing every note of her music, he now knew the inner peace and joy of what it felt like inside her heart for her to play the piano and sing. He sat immobile, tingling with her emotions commanding him as each light circling the room contained perfect rainbows, taking impatient turns caressing his skin. The intimacy and sweetness of her music engraved in his spirit, further forging the bond between them. Her song ended in a sustained high note, fading into vibrato, and he felt excitingly weak.

Professor McGonagall waited outside with her ear to the door of the Great Hall, listening to the song in its entirety before entering. She heard the applause and walked in to join the ghosts and portraits offering a spirited standing ovation. The paintings, who had also invited friends, were now crowded, and elbowed one another as they heartily applauded. The enchanted ceiling began raining red rose petals that melted like snow, disappearing before touching the floor, and there was not a dry eye in the Great Hall.

Waiting for the applause to come to an end, Professor McGonagall approached the table to speak, but cocked her head and closed her mouth when she saw Snape wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. She focused her attention on Katie, who was hamming it up, blowing kisses to the transparent audience, as she bowed and curtseyed. McGonagall laughed when the applause turned into mixed voices of the ghosts shouting requests.

Snape ignored all of them as he walked to Katie with his arms out to hug her. He took her hand, tangoed her to him, bent her backwards, and kissed her lips for an awkward amount of time. The ghosts covered their eyes, the portraits sighed, and McGonagall cleared her throat, looking away.

Finally, Snape released Katie and she returned to the piano to practice. He sat at the table, looking innocently at McGonagall through a misty grin. She marveled at his inner peace, searching him for validation that his new demeanor was permanent. Katie continued practicing and McGonagall realized the mental connection between them and rolled her eyes, shaking open her cloth napkin.

"Severus, I need to speak to you." She said in a quiet voice, not intending for Katie to hear what she had to say. She poured tea into her cup, waiting for Snape to recover from his love fog.

He reluctantly took his eyes off Katie and focused on McGonagall, listening impatiently.

McGonagall put the day's edition of _The Daily Prophet _on the table for him to see. "You _may_ want to _read_ that. Have you found any information that can help Katie?"

Before looking at the paper, he casually lied to McGonagall, telling her that he had not. He hoped to get information from her as to why she was in her transfigured form of a cat in Katie's memory.

"Do _you_ have any ideas?" He mumbled, casually picking up the newspaper. The headlines sent panic searing through him, realizing the danger of having let the previous day's events in the outside world temporarily slip his mind.

**  
"Severus Snape Attacked"**

_Severus Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry, was exiting Madam Mendoza's House of Every Occasion in Diagon Alley, when two known Death Eaters made an attempt on his life. Eyewitnesses claim the attack was thwarted by Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, who both declined to comment. One of the assailants, Rodolphus LeStrange, escaped. Granger and Weasley successfully captured Rabastan LeStrange while seeing Headmaster Snape to safety. Further investigation into the attempt shows evidence that the terrorist group known as the Death Eaters are still organized and active. Their tolerance for Muggles grows thin as death tolls continue to rise. Ministry officials have declined to comment on the involvement of the Muggle government, but sources claim their officials are preparing for war against the magic world unless the situation is rectified immediately._

Close to the bottom of the front page was another article that he knew he would soon be required to answer to:

_**Mystery Woman Teaches Troublesome Vampires a Lesson**_

_Yesterday afternoon, a highly skilled musician performed impromptu at the Hogs Breath Pub at Hogsmeade. Quickly drawing a crowd, she was harassed by two suspected members of the Death Eaters terrorist group. Witnesses say the striking young woman bravely took on two vampires singlehandedly, breaking the nose of one, and twisting the arm of the other. She successfully threw them both out of the pub. Sources say she was a Muggle visiting from the United States and had no idea the man harassing her was a vampire or a suspected member of the Death Eaters terrorist group. She had been spotted earlier that afternoon shopping with Minerva McGonagall, a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rumors continue to arise as to her relationship with Severus Snape, Headmaster of the Institution. Could she be the reason he was buying women's clothing prior to the attempt made on his life yesterday? Inquiring minds would also like to know how it is possible for a Muggle to be allowed at Hogwarts, given the spells deflecting them from entry. _

Snape folded the paper, hid it under his plate, and scowled at McGonagall. "You should _never_ have taken her from these grounds, Minerva! You know better than anyone the _dangers_!"

Glaring at him, she responded. "...And I think, _Severus_, that the Ministry has strict policies governing the _moral conduct_ of Headmasters at Hogwarts who entertain beautiful young women in their private quarters!"

Blushing, Snape became enraged. "And who placed the young woman in my chambers, _Minerva_?"

Ignoring his comment, she replied, "If you love her as much as you say, you would respect her enough to tell her the truth about her powers."

Through clenched teeth, he fought to control his temper. "And what truth would _that_ be, Minerva? You are in no position to speak to me of truth!" He growled, leaning forward in an attempt to control the volume of his voice, glaring at her. "Who _are_ they?"

Nervously sipping her tea, she realized he was referring to Katie's biological parents. He must have seen her somewhere in Katie's memory and now knew that Katie had been adopted. Without revealing any secrets protected by the Blood Oath, she glanced at Katie, who was focused on practicing.

Turning her attention back to Snape, she whispered, "How do we tell her the truth?"

"We do _not_!" He firmly replied. "Telling her this would devastate her and I cannot...I _will not_ do that!"

Opening her mouth to protest, he cut her off before she could speak. He said in his lowest, harshest voice, "She is not staying!" Lowering his eyes to the table, he remorsefully added, "She wants to stay, but now that the news of her presence has been announced in the tabloid, it is simply far too dangerous for her to remain here. She will return to her world in two days time." He took a deep, sorrowful breath, letting it out slowly. "It would be unfair of me to keep her from her goals and her dreams. There is no guarantee she will return, but I can live with hope. Minerva, you know the angry man I have always been. What kind of life could_ I_ offer her?"

"You have more options than you think, Severus. She has brought out the best in you and has made you strive to be a better person. She picked _you_ and..." She stopped talking, waiting for the black choke of death to torture her for saying too much. When nothing happened, she continued, speaking in a lower tone of voice.

"She picked me and what, Minerva?" He questioned in a stern way.

The connections in his brain fired, quickly forming the theory that the old witch was about to suggest Katie was part Siren, and those creatures chose their mates for life. Once chosen by a Siren, there was no turning back. Sirens were mostly connected to Veela blood, and were becoming extinct.

"You admit, then, that you know who they..." Realizing his voice was becoming loud, he stopped talking, but he continued to glare at McGonagall.

Her eyes saw the thought processes in his head, and she added, "The time will come when the Oath may be released, but until then, I have already said more than I should. I believe you have all the information you need to keep her safe at Hogwarts for the time being."

Distracted by the rapidly played notes of the Tarantella, they watched Katie play, and listened until she lost her place.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" She said, shaking her hands as if they were hot. "Er...Sorry." She began playing again, and did not miss a single note.

"I am fond of her too, Severus. Personally, I think she would adapt to our environment a lot easier than what you give her credit. It is not wise for you to underestimate a Prilyrist such as Katie. She is a strong, young woman who enjoys the freedoms of choosing her own path."

He knew McGonagall was right in that Katie enjoyed making her own decisions, but he firmly believed he knew best how to keep her safe without her knowledge. She glowed as she played, and he knew that she had no clue as to how important her gifts were to the magical world.

His voice was melancholy and soft, "She _must _go back for the time being. She will at least be safe in her world until we have the Death Eater movement under control. She deserves freedom should she return to Hogwarts. She cannot be confined only to the protection of the castle grounds. Her adventurous, free spirit would grow to think of it as a prison and she would come to see me as its gatekeeper."

Snape lifted his head and forced a smile to Katie after she stopped playing and approached him. She could see by his slumping posture and vacant expression something weighed heavily on his heart.

"OK...What's wrong? Tell me now while I'm prepared, rather than later when I'm not ready for it." She playfully sat on his lap, putting her arms around his shoulders. She whispered in is ear, loud enough for McGonagall to hear. "Is she mad at me for fightin' yesterday?"

Looking across the table at McGonagall, she apologized once more for creating a scene in the pub. From the corner of her eye, she saw the dirty plates disappear from the magic table, exposing Snape's picture in the _Daily Prophet. _In the moving photo, he continuously crossed his arms and scowled, looking most unpleasant.

Katie instinctively picked it up before Snape remembered hiding it under his plate. She left his knee and walked a few steps away from the table, reading the first article in horror.

"Katie, I..." He stopped as she flashed an angry look at him, shattered that he had not told her about the attempt on his life.

Ignoring the article involving her, Katie pointed the folded paper at him with one hand and put her other hand on her hip. "It really pisses me off at how you didn't tell me this! Someone tried to _kill_ you, Sev. The _whole world_ knew it before you told me." She stood in place, hurt, disappointed, and annoyed. "Let me guess. It was for mah protection, right?"

McGonagall frowned at Snape, pursing her lips, as if to say, "_I told you so." _ She allowed him a moment to think and he nodded to her for help. Looking at Snape approvingly, she said to Katie_, _"Come and sit. We all need to have a chat."

Katie sat across from McGonagall, not looking at Snape. She was not quite sure what her boundaries were as to how angry she could allow herself to become. Knowing she was a guest at first, things were quite different now that she was in an intimate relationship with him, thus allowing her a little more authority to speak her mind. However, she held her voice until the other two had their say. For the time being, she resolved to remain disappointed that he had undervalued her trust.

Snape took her hand and held it tightly between with both of his. "Katie, I did not tell you because that is simply the part of my life one could label as a job hazard. I did not want to think about it any more than necessary." Katie did not pull away from him, but she remained nonresponsive, not looking at him. Speaking in an apologetically reluctant tone, he said, "There _is_ something else I need to tell you."

"Great. What." She said emotionless. He did not answer right away, and she hesitantly turned her head toward him. Her eyes softened when she saw the sincerity and honesty in his dark, black eyes. She could not deny the unspoiled pleasure of her sense of security she felt when with him.

"You have the magical powers of a _Prilyrist_. It sometimes happens that Muggleborn children possess magical abilities. However, you are unique in that..." He looked at McGonagall to finish his sentence, but pleading with his eyes to not tell her the complete truth about her family.

McGonagall continued the conversation. "Katie, you are one of only five Prilyrists in our written history. It is an extremely rare gift."

Katie calculated their words, looking back and forth from McGonagall to Snape, thinking them ridiculous and absurd.

She laughed nervously. "This is a joke, right? Yaw'll 'r crayzee." She pulled her hand away from Snape's and picked up her napkin. As she folded it again and again, the shutters of the Great Hall opened, loudly slamming in place, taking away the piano bar atmosphere. She did not flinch, but felt the sting of the tears needling up in her eyes.

Throwing down the napkin, she noisily scooted away from the table and ran to the piano, shoving her music into her bag. Katie's musical literature had become her family since the passing of her parents and she had a strange need to feel a sense of them. Clutching the time worn Liszt booklet to her chest, she rocked, asking quietly, "What _is_ a _Prilyrist_?"

McGonagall followed Katie to the piano, sat next to her on the bench, and put her arm around her shoulder. "You have the gift of the healing powers of the prism. Others could produce it with their wands, but you produce it with your voice and your music. Yours is the most powerful of all because it comes from _within you_, from your heart. From what we have seen, you are a very rare type of healer. Not only can you help a house elf stop bleeding, your love of life causes you to mend what should be beautiful, especially the most insignificant things."

"How long have yaw'll known this?" She asked, still hugging her music.

Snape knelt beside the bench next to her, taking her hand. "The dead flower in the bath has been thriving since you have been here, and Hagrid now has a thriving bouquet of flowers growing in his hut. We have not yet had the opportunity to talk extensively about the Legilimens session. Katie, I saw, in every one of your memories, the lights of every room brighten when you performed. Did you never think it odd that the most beautiful flowers of your parents' prize winning garden grew beneath your bedroom window? Remember how the bullet from the fired pistol went through the ceiling and not your professor when you were singing? Have you honestly never had any idea that you could have been causing those things to happen?"

Katie tried to put it out of her mind as she had done all of her life. "Ah never thought it was me, ok? Ah just never thought about it at awl. Wasn't that the _raht_ thing to do? Be _normal_?" She pulled the bag over her shoulder, and sighed. "Well, ah don't want ta hear anymore. Yawll can believe what you want to. Ah'm leaving in two days, anyway, so what the hell does it matter?" She abruptly left the room, throwing open the heavy doors, and tore into a run across the castle grounds.

A sudden, uncontrollable urge to swim overpowered her and she ran straight to the Dark Lake. Running through the clearing, she left a trail of clothing, stripping down to her underwear, and tossed her shoes in different directions. Taking two running steps, not feeling the chill of the frigid water, she splashed into the lake, disturbing the perfect reflection of the mountains. Swimming in a fast breast stroke to the middle, she instinctively plunged downward into the dark abyss of the Black Lake.

Snape could not keep up with her as she ran, but he knew she was in the lake. Fang saw him running and chased alongside him, barking loudly. The gigantic boarhound sniffed her sweater and he dog paddled a few feet into the lake. Returning to the edge, he sniffed the ground of the levee, trying to find her scent. Snape picked up her things from the ground, piece by piece, and put them with her bag. Fang returned with one of her shoes, and dropped it at Snape's feet, covered in drool.

"What is it, Fang?" Hagrid called, following the sound of barking. He saw Snape standing at the edge of the lake holding Katie's worn out shoe sadly to his chest.

"She is in the lake." Snape said, looking across the top of the water, trancelike, "I could not stop her."

Hagrid walked closer to Snape to offer some type of comfort. He could not speak, for seeing Snape in such a mournful frame of mind. Opening his mouth, he closed it again, not knowing how or what to say. Suddenly, the top of the water bubbled as hundreds of Merpeople emerged, carefully observing Hagrid and Snape.

One of them swam closer to Snape, rising half way out of the water, and motioned for him to lean closer. The bluish green figure was clearly their leader. Apparently a female, she had menacing yellow eyes and tentacles resembling hair. Screeching sounds from the others were deafening, but she silenced them, and gurgled to Snape, "The female will stay with us until she wishes to do otherwise. Her eyes are only for you and that obligates you to be loyal to your female. Never take for granted a Siren, Severus Snape, for if you betray her you will live to regret it in this lifetime and in the next." She did not wait for his response as she swam away, slapping a wave of cold water onto Snape's face with her hind fin that soaked his clothing. Following her into the water, the others caused a small tidal wave to hit Snape, landing him on his rear end, dripping wet and humiliated.

Hagrid's face reddened as he sustained a hearty laugh. His urge to laugh subsided as Snape looked back, glaring at him. Remembering what the leader said, Hagrid repeated, "She's a Siren? How's _that_ possible? I thought she was a Muggle!"

Snape stared at the lake, hoping to see her swimming back to him, but she did not. Sitting still, soaking and deafeated, he said vacantly, "She is a Prilyrist."

"She's a _what_?" Hagrid took two steps toward Snape to make sure he was hearing him right. "You mean she's _not_ a _Muggle_? How'd ye come ter this conclusion?"

"Legilimens." Staring at the lake, painfully wishing her to come back, he did not realize he was speaking when he answered.

"You did _what_?" Hagrid angered, thinking Snape had performed his talent without Katie's consent. "I know ye want to keep her here! I know ye do! But it's wrong ter do that on innocent people 'n ye know it!"

"It's ok, Hagrid, I volunteered." Katie was treading water several feet from the levee, but close enough to plainly hear and be heard.

The two men and Fang focused their attention on Katie. Her skin color was pale, hinting of light blue, and her hair was long, covering her breasts, and appeared dry. She jumped completely out of the water, turning a flip, showing off her blue and green mermaid tail flipper. Splashing back into the water, she wet them all, but never resurfaced. Fang shook the water from his coat, flapping it in all directions, and groaned as he lay down beside the lake, loyally waiting for Katie.

Snape and Hagrid stood on the levee, staring in disbelief at the ripples from the splash made by Katie's new appendage. Their mouths remained gaped open, tilting their heads in complete surprise at what they witnessed. Hagrid twisted his beard.

"She has not yet recited the incantation to remain with them. It is natural for her to feel the need to be with them, but it is not yet permanent," Snape said unemotionally. "I am quite certain that Katie is simply living with the passionate appetite for life that she naturally enjoys as she tries on the costume of her cousins." His eyes were blank, and a strong feeling from their secret link gripped his chest. He could feel her at that moment singing in the water, communicating with the Merpeople. They offered her no information as to how and why she was a Prilyrist.

"We'll take turns watin' fer her. You go firs'. I'll be back in two hours." Hagrid slowly turned and walked back to his hut, checking over his shoulder for one more glance at the lake.

Snape kept a constant vigil over the next two hours, hardly blinking his eyes as he skimmed the surface looking for Katie. His heart ached for her and he wondered if she could feel his pain through their private link. He felt she was punishing him for withholding information from her, but she had forgiven him since being in the lake. He called to her many times, but the lake remained calm until his shift ended. He returned to the castle only to stare out the window at the lake from his tower.

Wandering into the bathroom, he looked at the place where he found her almost a week before. He remembered how scared and helpless she was cowering under his wand. He smiled at the thought of her ripped jeans and her pink swimsuit for an undergarment. Thinking of how she tosses back her head as she laughs, looking at him to share her humor, exposing a most beautiful smile.

Suddenly his heart raced, as if it would beat so hard it could stop. During Legilimens, he remembered seeing the boy hating her for saving him. He found himself guilty for identifying with the boy. _I thought the same of Lily when she saved me from James Potter and his cronies, _he thought_._ Katie had given his new life meaning and purpose, and he could only hope there would be a future for them.

He remembered, and his mind yelled inside his head, _The dress! The jewelry_! He had been aching to give them to her since he bought them, but he was saving them as a surprise. His face burned with worry as he restrained the imminent tears. Sitting behind his desk, he noticed Dumbledore was missing from his portrait.

End Notes:

There will be lemons, limes, and oranges in the next chapter, so pleeeeease do not read it if you are faint at heart or easily offended. Let ye be warned! Otherwise, please move right on along to the boldness of my pen.


	13. Chapter 13 Paradise Found

A/N: This is that chapter I've been dreading posting. I've decided that since I wrote it that I would leave it in. This is my world, well, ok maybe I've twisted JK Rowling's world a little bit, but as Bob Ross used to say, "There are no mistakes...Just happy little accidents." The porn stays in. Skip over if you don't like fluff (and shagging).

Paradise Found

Professor McGonagall knocked, flinging open the door as she entered, "Severus! We have Katie!"

She quickly entered the bathroom to fill the small pool with warm, soapy water. Hagrid stepped through the door, holding Katie's lifeless body in his arms, sloppily wrapped in a brown, threadbare blanket. Snape leapt from his chair, running to Katie, noticing her pale feet dangling from under the brown blanket. Pushing her hair away from her face, he saw that her once bronzed skin was now ashen and pallid, and her lips were deep purple from the cold waters of the depths of the Dark Lake. She was limp and nonresponsive, clamoring to life. She looked like a corpse and he thought she was dead.

"We have to get her warm!" McGonagall's voice had a hint of panic as her concerned blue eyes ordered Snape to do as she said.

Hagrid followed McGonagall to the bathroom and carefully stepped down into the steaming pool of soothing water, lowering Katie's body into it as Snape jumped in, fully dressed. Taking her lifeless body into his arms, he noticed the water smelled of a sweet fragrance he did not recognize. Hagrid flicked his wand and the bath began to bubble with strong jets propelling the water, turning it into a Jacuzzi to make her blood flow faster. He rubbed her hand between his giant fists.

After only a few moments of being in the bath, Katie's body temperature began to rise, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her bronze glow returning. Soft, pink tones of the day's sun began to redden her skin. Letting go of Katie's hand, Hagrid stepped out of the water and dried his clothes with his wand. Snape hugged her, greedily clasping her to him, chanting her name as if reciting an incantation until he felt her moving. He saw her green eyes open half way and he heard her whisper his name. Rejoicing in her lucidity, he tenderly kissed her face and stroked her wet hair. McGonagall and Hagrid left the room, closing the door behind them.

His soft, warm lips gently kissing her face awakened an insatiable craving for his touch as she regained consciousness. Freeing her arms of the wet blanket, pushing it away from her, she sent it sinking to the floor of the bath, and she dominated him with her desires. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips to his, slightly parting them, beckoning to taste him. His eyes opened with surprise, sending a sharp current of erotic electricity through his body, straight to his groin. Closing his eyes, he allowed her to indulge in his lips, his mouth, and his tongue.

She took his hands from around her waist and placed them on the hot skin of her sensitive breasts, inviting his touch as she began the task of undoing the multitude of buttons down the front of his coat. Her nipples hardened under his fingers as he awkwardly discovered them and timidly teased them.

Pulling his coat away from his shoulders, she arched her back, lifting her upper body out of the water, and offered her fleshy mounds as a feast for his mouth. Wriggling his hands from the inside-out sleeves of his jacket, he cupped each breast, taking time to lick and suck, savoring each one as a connoisseur. She ran her hands through his wet hair, approving of his plunder.

Feeling her way down his chest, she lowered her body into the warm water, suckling his lips as she unfastened his trousers. Pushing them half way down his legs, she freed his entrapped sex, kneading it gently between her hands, readying his firmness. His entire body stiffened with her governing touch, arousing him to the pinnacle of climax, but she did not allow him to peak.

Placing her arms around his neck, she wrapped her legs around his body, and gasped, "Take me!"

Possessing her thigh with one hand, he gripped himself with the other, and guided his readied length into her willing opening. Looking pleadingly into his eyes, she clutched his shoulders, slowly taking him inside her, pulling him deeper into her with every slow thrust of her hips. Closing his eyes in rapture, he leaned back his head and gripped her firm, fleshy buttocks, controlling her pace to his leisure.

He felt her breasts pressing on his chest and her breathy moans of ecstasy on his neck. Slowing, he thought he would not last to satisfy her, but her walls began to swell and spasm as she groaned, begging him not to stop. As he leaned against the side of the small pool, she ensnared him, locking her ankles behind him. Enjoying her domineering need, he gave her what she begged for, plunging into her without reservation. Feeling their rhythm, she aggressively impaled herself on his generous offering. Clinging to his shoulders, she lyrically cried out as her walls contracted, extracting every surging droplet of tonic from her pleasured Potions Master.

Holding one another tightly as they recovered, he wanted to stay one with her as long as possible, intimately fulfilled and enjoying a new type of spiritual connection to her. She was his exclusively his and he loved her on a level he never thought possible. Feeling her heart beating against his chest, he was speechless at having been dominated in such a titillating way.

Katie put her hands on his face and looked into his eyes. "Sev, I'm sorry for running off like that. It was one hell of a pity party! I shoudn't have ..."

Lightly touching her lips with his finger, he interrupted her, "Shhh. You were right in being upset. Not enlightening you was the same as lying to you. Please forgive my poor judgment." Placing his hands on either side of her face, he studied her eyes. "I will never mislead you again."

"I believe you and I love you," she breathily said on his lips.

His heart raced at hearing her assurance of affection toward him and he returned her devotion. Knowing his life would never be the same since having her in it, he knew that if she were to return to her world, he could never go back to his former life of darkness. He was certain they belonged together, sure that more than chance had put her in his life and he was more determined than ever to unlock the mystery of her family.

He began to smile, pushing her hair away from her eyes. "I must thank you, Katie. _That _was the most erotic moment of my life."

"...And it won't be the last. We're gettin' pretty _good_ at this." She laughed as she hugged him.

"I only hope we continue frequent practice," he joked. Reflecting on the last few moments, he said, "I have had a lot of _firsts_ with you, my love, but this time I gave you my seed. Are you concerned about conception?"

"The thought has crossed my mind, but I'm on the pill."

He took her by the shoulders, alarmed and worried, as if she were sick. "Why?"

"I'm not sick, Sev, it's for birth control. Haven't you ever heard of it?"

"I forgot that you have experience..." He thought of her having other lovers, feeling his muscles tense.

"Wait a minute, Sev, I know what you're thinking and that's not why I'm on it. My doctor prescribed it to me because I had problems with my cycle. I don't have that much experience with men. I regret the one mistake I made with a jerk...Well, didn't you see that in my memory?"

"Yes. It ended horribly for you." He relaxed, deciding to forgive her for the mistake of having one other lover, especially since he knew her feelings for him had been shallow. "Do you still have problems with your..._cycle_? Will you always have to take the medication?"

Katie took her head from his chest to study his face. "Do _you_ want children?"

He continued looking at her puzzled. "I-I have never given it a thought. There has never been an opportunity for me to entertain the possibility. I have spent the better part of my life teaching children, but...A child of my own is...You cannot have children while taking this pill?"

"Why, Sev, I believe you want a baby! You want a little miniature of yourself walking around here!" She joked.

"That is ridiculous! What would I do with one of those?" He had not yet laughed, but pulled her head back to his chest to enjoy her closeness. "A miniature of you would be better."

"Well, that's all sweet 'n everything, but can we wait on the kid thing for a while?" She patted his chest jokingly and moved to kiss him.

He caressed her shoulders, feeling the unusually hot temperature of her skin. He drew back to look and saw that her face was badly sunburned, as well as the rest of her body. "You managed to overexpose yourself to the sun's rays today. Your skin is hot and red. Does it hurt?"

"Not as much as it's _goin_' to." The normally white stripes on her shoulders were vividly glowing red against the burgundy color of her shoulders. She grimaced under his touch as he delicately traced the tender streaks. Breathing in through her teeth, she asked, "You got any aloe vera?"

"I have something _much _better," he said smoothly.

"I'll bet it's a kick ass potion. Just tell me it's not nasty as hell. The last stuff you gave me to drink looked so gross it nearly made me puke before I could swig it down." She laughed playfully. "It _tasted_ ok, though."

She swam to the other side of the pool and leaned on the side. "Did you see my tail?"

"I most certainly did," he replied, throwing his heavy, soaked clothing out of the water. Levitating each garment with his wand, he dried them with a spell and sent them to rest on a chair in the corner. Dumping water out of his boots, he replied, "Your fin was quite unique." He looked at her, grinning fiendishly. "However, I prefer your _perfect_ legs."

Gliding back to him underwater, she wiped the stray droplets from her eyes, and rested her head on his shoulder. Yawning, she said, "I'm really sleepy, Sev, do I have time for a quick nap?"

"Yes," he answered, wiping away a pile of bubbles from her hair. "You may nap as soon as you take a potion for your skin. Your condition is worsening."

He led her to the steps to climb out of the water, but her legs were like rubber and she fell backward into his grasp. "My legs are asleep. They're tingling...feels like thousands of needles stickin' 'em."

He pulled his wand to levitate her as he grabbed a towel from a nearby hook and wrapped it around her. Drying them both with a spell cast by his wand, he quickly got dressed, leaving his buttons for later. Taking her in his arms, he carried her out of the bathroom, smiling as he remembered doing the same the first night she arrived. Placing her on the bed, he watched while her skin became riddled with goose bumps from the slight draft of the room. She burrowed under the warm, fluffy covers of his bed.

"What time is it?" She yawned, pulling the comforter to her nose.

"It is 3:30." He turned and left for the dungeon to mix a potion for her skin.

He returned moments later to find her still awake, sitting up with painful, clear bubbles forming on her reddened arms and shoulders. As soon as he entered the room, she held out her hands for the goblet and drank every drop of the potion without first looking at it. The sweet coconut flavor was a pleasant surprise and she felt instant relief from the sunburn. Feeling the elixir travel through her system, the clear bubbles on her skin began to rapidly disappear.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, she sleepily said, "Thank you. Coconut? I _love _coconut." She relaxed back onto her pillow, pulling the covers to her chin.

Taking the empty goblet, he put it under his nose to smell. "Hmm. It is called _coconut._ I managed to extract the taste from the fragrance you chose for the bath. I have never experienced coconut, nor heard of it until today, but I will _never, _in my life, forget the aroma."

"_I_ chose the fragrance?" She asked, noticing the coconut smell on her skin.

"The bather always chooses the fragrance," He said as he removed his cloak, tossing it onto a straight back chair in the corner. Removing the rest of his clothing, he piled the garments on top of the cloak instead of neatly folding each item, as was his usual custom. He slid under the covers, finding the warmth of her relaxed body. She lay on her side as he cuddled her, and grasped her in his long, protective arms.

"Ya know, I was havin' a dream or somethin' when ya'll put me in the bathtub. I was dreamin' I was on the beach latherin' up with suntan lotion that smelled like coconut. And I was sippin' on a Pina Colada through a swirly straw."

"Pina Colada." He laughed as he repeated the words. "No doubt it is a potion containing coconut."

"Three ounces of rum, three tablespoons of coconut cream, and three tablespoons of fresh crushed pineapple. You throw it in a blender with two cups of ice and you've got a little bit of paradise you can swig through a straw. Does that sound like a great potion to you?" She sighed, caressing the indentions his taught muscles caused in his capable arms.

"I should like to visit a beach and taste this paradise you speak of. However, I had my own taste of paradise this afternoon." He chuckled as he rested his hand between her breasts.

After a moment, he thought aloud, "I would never betray you with another."

They fell into a deep sleep and did not move until Winky apperated into the room, waking Snape with the popping sound of her magical entry.

Winky held her hand over her eyes when she saw their entangled, restful forms. Embarrassed and angry for having to wake them, the timid house elf whispered, "Forgive me, Master Snape, the guests will arrive in less than an hour."

He waved her off and she quickly disapperated. Katie slept so soundly and peacefully against him, that he did not want to move. After a few blissful moments of listening to her breathe and watching her sleep, he reluctantly threw back the covers and slipped out of bed. He tried to wake her, but she mumbled something about skipping class, flopped over onto her stomach, and fell back into a sound sleep, exposing the left half of her naked body. Looking at her as he buttoned his jacket, he was amused at the contrasting colors of her white buttocks and her tan legs.

A covetous grin covered his face, and he disapperated to the kitchen for coffee. The house elves immediately presented him with a perfectly polished silver tray, holding a small, shiny pot of steaming hot coffee, two mugs, and cream and sugar. Gripping the tray, he cleared his throat, signaling for them to place some type of flora upon it. Winky quickly produced a white sprig of rare Dendrobium Orchids, impressing Snape so that he smiled at her before disapperating back to his chambers. She was ecstatic to the point of tears.

He placed the tray on the nightstand next to the bed, and prepared a cup of coffee for Katie, exactly as he had seen her do it. Holding the steaming cup under her nose, the aroma of the fresh brewed coffee roused her. She clumsily propped onto one elbow, her eyes heavy as she rubbed them, trying her best to wake up.

Smoothing her wild hair with his hand, he smiled contently at her as he held the mug for her to take. "I love you, Katie," he said, grinning. "You are beautiful when you wake."

She sat up, pulling the sheet over her, taking the mug. "You really spoil me, ya know? Let's just run away where no one knows us and start a new life." Sipping from the mug, she took the sprig of orchids and lovingly admired them. "Maybe we could get us a cottage on the beach somewhere and we could stay there forever." Holding the sprig for him to see, she added, "And we could grow these! They are very rare and they grow best in a tropical setting." Taking another sip, she tickled her face with the orchid.

"Orchids are one of my favorite flowers. My dad used to grow them."

"I cannot take the credit for this one. Winky produced it for you. Close your eyes, Katie, I have something for you. I will be right back." He rose and hurried to his office.

As he opened the cabinet to pull out Katie's gifts, McGonagall rapped on the door as she timidly entered. Seeing him, she spoke in a low voice, "I came to look in on Katie. How is she feeling?"

Snape felt smug in that McGonagall had not interrupted them earlier, as she had a habit of intruding on their private moments. "She is resting, but doing _splendidly_. I believe she will be performing _this_ program tonight." He handed her a small piece of parchment on which Katie had written the order of repertoire she had chosen. "She intended for you to have it earlier this morning. I hope this meets with your approval."

McGonagall took the list and scanned it, her eyes widening with excitement and anticipation. "Impressive!"

Snape held the door for her to exit. "Will that be all?"

"You must come downstairs shortly. The guests are on their way." She eyed the festive bundle of packages hanging from his fingers and smiled approvingly at him before she exited.

He closed the door, careful to lock all seven latches and he added a few wards of his own before returning to the bedroom.

Katie heard him approaching and closed her eyes as he had instructed. He quietly slipped in and placed the packages on the bed next to her.

"Open your eyes, Katie Lee Hawkins," he said playfully.

She gasped in surprise, tearing into the bottom box, pulling out the sparkly red dress. Holding it up, her eyes watered as she looked at it. "Oh, Sev, this is _beautiful_." She next ripped open the box containing the shoes. "Ruby slippers! Maybe I'll find Kansas after all! I _love_ these!" She hugged him, grasping his neck as though she had just won the lottery. Last, she pulled open the package with the sheer shoulder wrap.

"You thought of _everything_, didn't you!"

She stood on the bed, feeling her legs working perfectly, and pulled the dress over her body, wriggling it over her hips. Hopping off the bed to the floor, she turned around for him to zip the short zipper up the back. He easily pulled it all the way up and was ecstatic at how perfectly it fit her. It hugged her body, emphasizing her small, curvy waist and perfectly round hips, as if she had been poured into it. She slipped on the shoes and threw the wrap around her shoulders. Turning around, she jokingly posed, waiting for his approval.

He grabbed her and pulled her back onto the bed, throwing his leg over her, and kissed her.

Playfully, he declared, "I cannot resist you! I _must have_ you right now!" He laughed as she pretended to fight him off.

Still smiling, she looked up into his black, sparkling eyes. Touching his lips with her fingers, she whispered, "When you think of home, do you think of a house?"

Kissing her fingers, he saw that she was serious. "I have never thought about that. What in the name of Merlin makes you ask this question?" He thought she was about to reveal the punch line of a joke.

"I dunno. I just _don't_ think it _has_ to be a house, I suppose." Touching his face, she added, "I think it can be a person."

He lay back on the bed, and watched her smooth the dress over her hips, perplexed at her randomness.

She walked to the floor length mirror and admired the dress. "Sev, this is...I'm speechless. I feel like a movie star! This is _more_ than beautiful! I have had some pretty dresses, but all my formals were homemade. I always wanted one like this, but I could just never bring myself to get one."

Approaching her from behind, he said silkily, "Hold up your hair."

She twisted her hair in a rough French knot and he brought the shimmering necklace around her neck. In the mirror, she watched the look of satisfaction on his face as he fumbled with the clasp behind her. Smiling, her eyes opened wide when she took in the beauty of the necklace. Touching it with her fingers, she gasped, realizing the excellent quality of the pearls and diamonds set in gold.

Before she could speak, still looking awestruck in the mirror, he handed her the small box containing the matching earrings. Opening the box slowly, she covered her mouth with her hand, and felt her legs go numb. Leaning against him, he put his hands around her waist and held her to him as she recovered.

"This is...these are...this is too much. You've spent way too much on me!"

Kissing her neck, he breathed, "Put them on."

She put the earrings in her ears as he kissed her neck down to her shoulders. He saw in her eyes that she was pleased, and knew that he had successfully surprised her with the gifts. She leaned back on him and closed her eyes, feeling his heart beating against her back as she clasped her hands over his.

Glancing in the mirror once more, she began to feel hot tears forming in her eyes. "You did too much, Sev. I don't know if I can accept these. I've never had anything like..."

"_Of course_ you will accept them. I will cast a spell so that you cannot ever remove them if I must. They are solely for you, my love. As you say, they are from my heart."

He watched their reflection in the mirror as he touched the dangling earrings. She tilted her head, offering him her neck to kiss, and she sighed, closing her eyes. He kissed her ear, breathing in the coconut fragrance lingering on her skin from the bath. As he kissed her neck, she ran her hands down his thighs, feeling him growing against her.

Awakening her skin with chills, he whispered on her neck, "We need to go downstairs."

He spun her around, feeling beneath his hands the silky smooth fabric of the dress, clinging to her body. As she turned, he felt the indentions of her shoulder blades, as the design gave way to a low cut 'v', exposing most of her back.

"We must continue this later, my love." He sighed on her lips, looking into her green, accepting eyes. "However, You tempt me, you naughty girl."

He parted his lips, erotically exploring her tongue, he wanted to ignore the guests and give in to his carnal desire for her the remainder of the evening. She slipped her hands under his coat, finding his fleshy buttocks, and squeezed. Her actions tickled him, giving him a start, and he flinched. Laughing out loud from being goosed for the first time in his life, he tickled her ribs in return.

"McGonagall will send an army of panicked house elves to zap us to the Great Hall in a compromising position if we are late." He continued to tickle her.

Laughing, fabulously happy, she squealed, "Ok! Ok! Stop! I give! You win!"

He stopped and she smoothed her hair, still smiling. "Before I can go down there, I need a few moments to gussy up. You go ahead and I'll meet you downstairs." She tucked her arms to her sides, protecting her ticklish ribs should he try again. "But let's have a shot of Firewhisky first."

Groaning, he reluctantly released her and turned to leave the bedroom, leading her by the hand into the sitting area. He poured them each a large shot. Silently, they clinked tumblers and tossed back the searing liquid into their mouths, locking eyes while they swallowed. Neither one grimaced, nor made a noise as the burn traveled into their systems. Katie slammed her tumbler upside down on the table and Snape followed suit.

"Wow! You took it like a man!" Katie joked, acting as though she would squeeze his buttocks. Instead of running from him, she danced around him, twirling and spinning until she stopped and slapped her leg. "Damn! That feels good goin' down, don't it?"

Exhaling his hot breath, he said, "I will meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes. I will send Winky to escort you." He turned to leave, but he stopped at the door, taking her in with his eyes. He said smoothly, "You look very beautiful tonight." After gazing a moment longer, he closed the door.

Katie ran after him, kicking off her shoes. She caught up with him in the hallway and threw her arms around him, as though she would never see him again.

"I love you, Sev," She rasped. Thank you for _everything_. I'll see ya downstairs!" She ran back into the room to finish dressing.

Chapter End Notes:

Please leave me some feedback! I've never in my life written anything like that before, and I found it to be fun! What an outlet! Let me know what you think...gently, of course. I'm just...really vulnerable right now...sniff sniff.


	14. Chapter 14 McGonagall's Feast

A/N: All mistakes do belong to me. I'm reminding everyone that this is JKR's world and I'm just kicking around the dust. I'm hoping I've got the dates and names and things right in this chapter. Please let me know if you come across something that needs to be changed!

McGonagall's Feast

Fifteen minutes late was early for Katie. She had a knack for being late to everything. This time she was delayed because she accidentally poked herself in the eyeball with her mascara wand, and had been waiting for the pain to stop. In the Great Hall, the house elves refused to serve dinner without Katie present. They found chores to do that made them seem busy while they procrastinated, awaiting her arrival.

Snape sat at the head of the table, and glanced at the door every few seconds, anxiously waiting for Katie to enter. Professor McGonagall was pleased with the turnout for her feast, and she made a fuss over everyone who came, but she was worried that Hagrid had not yet arrived. She sat to Snape's left, chatting with Ron and Hermione. Kingsley sat one seat down on Snape's right, next to Harry and Ginny. Professor Flitwick sat at the other end on a stack of books, sipping wine, and listening in on all the conversations happening around the table.

In the tower, Winky could no longer tolerate Katie's continued refusal for her help, and she could not stand seeing Katie's eyes watering black tears from the mascara jab. The impatient elf muttered a spell, and the pain subsided in Katie's eye. Another, more empathetic spell put Katie's make up and hair in place. Katie looked closely in the mirror for a last minute check before going downstairs, and she gasped at the perfection of Winky's easy makeover. Her hair had been put into a perfect French twist, magically held up by sparkling rhinestones, and her makeup looked like she had just stepped out of an upscale salon. She felt confident enough, but she had trouble walking in the stiletto shoes. She took a couple of practice steps, but the strappy stilts wobbled as she tried to put one foot in front of the other. Winky looked at the floor, shaking her head. She flicked her wand again, enchanting Katie's shoes so that they felt like her old tennis shoes.

Katie took a couple of confident steps, feeling comfortable and sure of the height. She mockingly walked like a model, turning around, putting one foot directly in front of the other as she swung her arms. She stopped, posing in front of the mirror. Looking at Winky, she said, "Cinderella can just kiss mah ass." Grabbing her canvass Ole Miss bag, they headed downstairs.

She hesitated at the door of the Great Hall to catch her breath and compose herself before going in. Winky entered, acknowledging Snape as she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, signaling to him that Katie was outside the door. Looking in the mirror in the Great Foyer, she saw how horrible the dingy bag looked along side her beautiful, sparkly red dress. She threw her shoulder wrap across her shoulders and dug in the bag, finding her lipstick tube. Applying a layer of garnet color to her lips, her hands were shaking and she got some on her teeth.

"Shit!" She said under her breath, but her voice echoed freely.

Wiping the lipstick from her teeth, she heard the portrait behind her whistle at her. Turning around, she smiled and winked, playfully flirting. As she turned back around, she saw the portrait next to the mirror moving. She realized that the portrait was that of Albus Dumbledore.

His ocean blue eyes studied her over his bifocals with an expression of natural confidence that commanded respect. "You are a very talented and lovely young woman, Miss Hawkins. It is an honor to have a Prilyrist with your talents in the castle."

"Thank you. Um. I...er...thanks." She clutched the bag to her chest and closed her mouth, unnerved.

"I do not mean to startle you, my dear. I simply wanted to compliment you."

Katie had no idea what to say or do, but was not scared. "Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore, sir. I'm sorry. This is creepy." She laughed.

"Yes, yes, I can understand your apprehension. After all, you have visited my tomb. While I have the opportunity, Miss Hawkins, I would like to know if you have the bracelet with you the Merpeople gave you."

Katie reached into her canvass bag and pulled out a small, satin drawstring clutch bag Winky had made for her to organize her small treasures. She pulled the string and took out the pearl bracelet, holding it up for Dumbledore to see.

"Ah woulda wore it tonight, but Sev gave...Ah mean... _Severus_ gave me a new necklace and earrings. Ah thought they might awl clash t'gether. Anyway, ah'm playin' tonight and ah don't like stuff on mah arms or hands when ah play the piano."

Looking at the bracelet, he adjusted his bifocals and leaned forward to better see the details, as if reading something on it. After seeing the bracelet, he smiled approvingly when he saw the expensive jewelry Snape had given her.

"Ahhh yes, I see. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Turning his eyes back to hers, he smiled warmly at her. "I wish you and Severus much happiness in the coming years."

Katie dropped the bracelet nervously back into the canvass bag, followed by the satin bag. Not meaning to be careless with the bracelet, she was more nervous about facing the people inside the Great Hall than having a conversation with the portrait of a dead guy.

"Thank you. I love him." Katie said nervously.

"And he loves you, my dear. I look forward to hearing you play. By the way, what is on the program tonight?"

"That's a surprise." She curtseyed and turned to the mirror for a last minute check. "They're gonna think I'm a country bumpkin."

"I disagree. They have no idea just how special you are. They will join me in being happy that Severus found his soul mate. I believe the correct phrase is '_break a leg_'?"

The heavy doors screeched on their hinges when she pulled them open to enter the Great Hall. Awkwardly stepping inside, the conversations stopped abruptly, and the door slowly creaked to a halt. Only Winky's footsteps could be heard as the little elf trotted to greet Katie. Every eye at the table averted to her direction, and she felt like a bug under a microscope until she saw her tall wizard stand at the head of the table. Taking the canvass bag from Katie, the little elf led the way to Katie's seat, and then placed the next to the piano at the front of the Great Hall. Following the elf to the table, Katie kept her eyes on Snape, unable to read his expression, so she smiled and focused on not tripping over her shaking knees.

Walking the length of the room to the long table seemed like miles, and she felt as scrutinized as a model on a runway. She was not sure if the hem of her dress was stuck in her underwear or if she had a long line of toilet paper dragging from the bottom of her shoe. She felt beautiful, but that kind of attention was out of the question. Whatever the reason they stared, she felt relief when she saw Snape beaming at her with his arm extended to welcome her.

Snape warmly greeted her, took her hands in his, and he whispered on her far ear, "You look _amazing!_"

His breath was warm, and it blew on a loose wisp of her hair that tickled her neck. Squeezing his hands, she shuddered in the wake of goose bumps that rushed all over her skin, and she grinned, trying not to giggle. She did not notice the gaping mouths of the guests reacting to their exchange. She had no idea how shocked the guests were to see the tender side of Severus Snape.

Securing his arm around her waist, he addressed the inquisitive expressions on the faces looking back at him with his usual stone face. As if beginning an important lecture in his classroom, he met with every eye, and dryly informed, "I would like for you to meet _my_ guest," he paused to glare at McGonagall, who was smiling smugly, and he continued, "Katie Lee Hawkins. She is a musician visiting from the United States."

Katie nodded and smiled at the guests and blushed while Snape awkwardly pushed her chair to the table. A satisfied smile curved on his lips when he drank her in as he sat.

Ron and Harry's mouths had not closed since Katie walked into the room. Hermione stomped Ron's foot to make him stop gawking, and Ginny elbowed Harry. Snape introduced to Katie everyone by name, and they sat to enjoy the feast.

Hermione had quickly noticed the rapport Katie had with the house elves as they tirelessly tended to her every whim. She was the first one of the guests to speak to Katie. "Do you think house elves should be free?"

"Why do you ask?" Katie replied.

The other guests laughed, knowing that Hermione had a history of actively seeking freedom for house elves. Katie blushed, thinking she had said something stupid.

Laughing, Harry explained, "Hermione was quite the activist for Elfish Welfare!"

"Yea, she knitted clothes for them," Ron added, turning red with laughter. "She'd stay up all night knitting little caps and socks for them."

"Well, I just think that's so sweet to make 'em clothes. Goodness knows ah haven't seen 'em wearin' anything but rags."

"If you give them clothes, it will set them free. I've only known one elf who loved clothes," Harry added.

Ron interjected, "Yeah, he liked socks. Remember how he put on all those little hats Hermione made and left laying all over the Common Room?"

Hermione shushed Ron, seeing that Harry was suddenly saddened by the memory of Dobby's recent death.

Katie did not know the history of Harry and his house elf, but replied, "Ah believe if they wanted ta be free they could be. As it is, they have it made. Ah mean, they've got 'em a free place to stay and raise their fam'lees, and all the food they need. Their basic needs 'r covered. They won't wear clothes, hardly, and they've got shelter. Hey, if they're happy bein' house elves, then they should have that prerogative. Ah don't understand it, but they seem to like cleanin' and polishin'. They seem happy enough to me."

Hermione was satisfied with her answer and she completely agreed with her.

McGonagall told the story of how Katie saved Winky from bleeding to death. Katie was embarrassed and uncomfortable about talking about it. Of course, everyone at the table wanted to know how Katie came to be at Hogwarts. To help change the subject, Winky created a diversion in the corner of the room by loudly crashing a heavy, glass punch bowl on the floor, and laughed out loud, knowing the little elf had done it on purpose. She covered her mouth when everyone looked at her with puzzled faces. Winky smiled back at her, pleased that she helped her Mistress Katie.

Hermione was thrilled that Katie had proven to be a match for her former Potions Master. She smiled at Katie unknowingly, and Katie returned the acknowledgement with a sincere grin. Hermione was confused as to how a beautiful young woman like Katie could be romantically interested in Snape, of all people, but she put it out of her mind, and focused on her dessert. However, Ron and Harry were still gawking at the red dress every time Hermione looked at up them, and she rolled her eyes, stabbing the pie with her fork.

After the meal, Hermione rose and excused herself from the table, along with Ginny. "If you will excuse us, we need to go powder our noses."

"Ditto," Katie said, looking at Snape. Katie followed directly behind them, as all the men stood.

Snape saw Harry and Ron's eyes following Katie all the way to the end of the Great Hall until the door closed. Flitwick held his monocle to his eye while his head followed her, and Kingsley's head tilted sideways, only watching her with his eyes. Her dress sparkled in all the right places, further drawing attention to the side slit of her dress, exhibiting her brown, lean legs in the stiletto heels.

After the door closed, every head at the table turned in sync toward Snape. He was smugly aware of the eyes on him, but ignored them as he sat. Knowing it would irritate McGonagall, he turned the conversation to the topic of security.

Addressing Kingsley, he asked, "I believe two guards at the gate entry will suffice until the movement excels. What are your thoughts, Kingsley?"

Very evasive, Kingsley replied, "Agreed." Kingsley did not look at Snape when he spoke.

McGonagall interrupted crispily, "We'll have no shop talk at the dinner table. You can discuss this after the recital."

She announced to the other guests, "Katie will be entertaining us this evening on the piano." She stared firmly at Snape for reinforcement in changing the subject.

Before he could comply, Hermione, Ginny, and Katie returned, giggling and laughing. _Apparently_, Snape thought, _they have bonded_. Rolling his eyes, he stood, and offered the chair to his personal guest.

McGonagall asked Katie, "Are you ready to start now?"

Katie nodded, and gulped the last half of her wine. Taking her music from her bag, she began to look forward to performing for the intimate group of bizarre people.

McGonagall waited for Katie to get seated at the grand Steinway, and she announced, "It is my distinct pleasure to introduce our special guest, Katie Lee Hawkins. Katie hails from Mississippi, a state in the southern part of the United States, and she is a graduate student at the University of Mississippi studying Piano Performance. She will be performing selections from her upcoming recital and some that she personally chose for this special occasion. Please join me in welcoming Katie." She applauded with the guests and quickly took her seat.

Small, pink parchments floated down from nowhere, and landed on the table in front of each guest. McGonagall thought it would be a nice touch to include a formal program that listed the evening's music:

_Katie Lee Hawkins _

_In concert_

_May 9, 1998_

_The Great Hall_

_Hogwarts Castle_

_Tarantella..........................Liszt_

_Magic Waltz.......................Morricone_

_Playing Love.....................Morricone_

_Sev's Theme.....................Hawkins_

The ghosts noisily arrived, bringing many guests with them, shoving one another, and whispering as they floated in through the walls. Katie placed her hands in her lap, humored at their folly. Sir Nick asked Professor Flitwick to borrow his program and McGonagall impatiently conjured more pink parchment from the ceiling, shushing the ghosts. They took the programs and sat on transparent chairs, restlessly awaiting the first note. The portraits had more people in them than they could hold, causing some of them to be pushed out of view, disgruntled.

Katie received a standing ovation after the perfectly and spiritedly played Tarantella. However, Snape had not looked at anyone during the course of the recital due to the secret connection he had with Katie. He had shared her nerves throughout the fast paced piece. His knuckles had turned white from gripping his knees all eight minutes and twenty-three seconds of the Tarantella. Feeling Katie's relief that it went well, he was the last to stand for the applause, having needed a moment to unclench his hands. He applauded and downed an entire glass of red wine, enjoying the break between songs. She was pleased with her performance and she bowed professionally, not hamming it up as she did in practice.

As Katie played the first notes of _The Magic Waltz_, the ghosts excitedly left their seats to dance, like she were playing a hit tune they all knew and loved. They waltzed to it as graceful nobility, just as they had the night Katie had played it in the Great Hall when Snape had surprised her with the piano. The tune brought the memory of that evening to Snape and he covered his face with his hand when he felt his skin flushing. Katie connected with him and they secretly shared clips of the memory as her hands played the notes. She glanced at Snape, whose skin reddened, seeing her plans for him after the dinner.

The sweet, sad melody of _Playing Love_ found Hermione and Ron holding hands, and Ginny and Harry locked arms. The romantic tone of the piece inspired the enchanted ceiling to rain red rose petals, turning into paper hearts as they floated to the floor. The guests were all misty eyed when the piece ended in a dissonance that made one reminisce. The applause started slowly, and it quickly turned into vigorous appreciation. The portraits wiped their eyes, and the ghosts hugged their partners. McGonagall dabbed at her clear, blue eyes with her napkin, and Professor Flitwick wiped his eyes on his tie after removing his monocle.

After taking a bow, she moved in Snape's direction, removing the slinky see through wrap from her shoulders. The paper hearts cleared in her path as she walked through them, floating gracefully away from her feet, and she placed the glittery garment around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. Harry stood from his seat and snapped a picture of the kissing couple.

Snape broke the kiss and glared in the direction of the flash.

"One more," Harry said, as he focused the lens.

Katie put her arms around Snape's neck, pressing her face against his, and smiled, just as Harry snapped the picture. She tossed her head back, laughing out loud at her lover's protests.

The former Death Eater lowered his inhibitions, intoxicated with her natural ability to laugh, even though he had never before enjoyed being photographed. He was only agreeable for Katie's sake, and playfully scolded her for it while Harry took as many pictures as possible of the two of them in that moment.

She crossed the room, returning to the piano, and stood in front of it. Looking at her audience first, she fixed her eyes on Snape. "The last piece I would like to play for you tonight is my own composition. It came to me not long after I arrived at Hogwarts and I would like to dedicate it to your Potions Master. He was the one who inspired it." She sat, smiled lovingly at Snape, and began to play.

Hermione looked at her pink program and whispered to her friends, "_Sev_'s Theme?" They snickered without being heard, but they had already begun to accept the new woman as one of their own.

Snape was no longer uncomfortable with the idea of others knowing his new role as a companion for Katie, and he could care less how the others perceived it. However, he enjoyed the situation more knowing they were accepted as a couple by the small group gathered around the table. Nothing else in the world was as important to him as the young woman playing the piano. She had breathed life back into him, and he was content for the first time in a very long time.

Glancing around the table, he saw his peers consumed with watching Katie's performance, but Harry stared blankly back at him. The young wizard thought Katie's wrap hanging loosely around Snape's neck was hilarious, but he felt happy for Snape, knowing he deserved the love he and Katie shared. Harry raised his glass to Snape, signaling his approval and congratulations. Snape nodded to Harry in appreciation, discretely returning the toast.

The others around the table remained enchanted by the melodies of Katie's composition. Hermione and Ron were snuggling, listening to the music. Harry and Ginny were cuddling and obviously in love. Professor Flitwick winked at McGonagall, and she smiled back at him. Snape rolled his eyes and focused on Katie. The beautiful music gifted him a glazed feeling on his already active romantic side. The ghosts were all paired with partners, slow dancing, and the portraits wiped their eyes with handkerchiefs, leaning on one another in the crowded frames. Although he thoroughly enjoyed his secret connection with Katie, he was grateful that it was on standby. He was able to breathe normally and enjoy the piece without her nerves wearing on his.

He glanced at Kingsley, who was sweating profusely, and wiping his forehead with his napkin. Snape could not recall ever having seen Kingsley sweat at all, not even in battle. He assumed Kingsley was becoming ill after eating the calamari appetizers, and he kept a close eye on him while Katie finished playing the sweet, melancholy piece.

She stood in front of the piano, humbly and graciously accepting the thunderous standing ovation. She blew a kiss to Snape and bowed once more to the growing applause. The ghosts threw transparent bouquets of flowers that disappeared as they fell to her feet. McGonagall swelled with pride, seeing everyone enjoying themselves.

"Encore!" Harry yelled.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny called, in unison, "Encore! Encore!" They clapped louder.

"Yes! Yes!" Flitwick bellowed, "Encore! Encore!"

The ghosts, the portraits, and everyone at the table wanted at least one more song before ending the performance.

Snape mouthed to her that he wanted her to sing.

Seeing his request, McGonagall called, "Sing, Katie! Sing something!"

The portraits began chanting, "Sing! Sing!"

Katie motioned with her arms for the audience to calm down. "Ok. I'll do _one_ more. This one is my favorite songs to sing in this room. For some weird reason, it fits the situation I kind of... _fell_ into."

She began the introduction to _Somewhere Over the Rainbow_, and the audience cheered, as if they were at a concert in a stadium. The enchanted ceiling brought back the spotlights, but it added an enchantment that amplified Katie's voice. A ghostly rhythm section emerged from thin air. She smiled as she saw a short, fat, male ghost wearing a tight tuxedo, plucking an upright bass. Next to him was a middle aged ghost sitting behind a massive drum set, lightly playing the cymbals with a pair of brushes.

As the mirror ball began to turn, Harry and Ginny were the first to the dance floor to begin slow dancing. Ron and Hermione followed, dodging the ghosts as they found a place to dance on the crowded floor. Professor Flitwick hopped off his stack of books and offered his hand to McGonagall, leading her to dance with the others. As they began to dance, Snape laughed at how much taller she was than him. The tiny wizard hugged his head to the witch's abdomen as they swayed.

Looking at Kingsley, Snape joked, "I guess that leaves you and me, but I am not going to dance with you."

Kingsley shook his head and wiped beaded sweat from his forehead with a napkin while gulping a glass of chilled wine. Rainbows formed in the circling lights from the mirror ball, and the Minister slid back his chair, quickly exiting the room. Snape was certain he was leaving to go be sick, and he was relieved that he had not personally eaten any of the calamari. He relaxed into his chair, and crossed his legs, closing his eyes to just listen. Enjoying the music and the atmosphere, he decided to propose marriage to her as soon as she returned to the table. Although he did not have a ring as of yet, the moment was perfect and he was certain the timing would be right.

Close to the end of the song, Snape opened his mind to his connection with Katie, but found it fogged with mute pastels that bloomed into vivid hues of confusing, clashing neon colors. He could no longer feel her, but he knew that her powers afforded her a subconscious alarm, causing the colors in her mind to clash when danger was lurking. He surveyed the room and saw nothing but friends having a wonderful time, dancing and laughing. _Perhaps_, he thought, _she was purposely blocking him_ _since he had previously experienced the song with her earlier in the day. _

As the last note faded, and the rainbows had disappeared, there was an explosion at the door of the Great Hall, knocking both heavy doors off their hinges, and splintering the ancient wood. Twelve Death Eaters, wearing masks and long, black cloaks flew into the room on brooms, swarming like a pack of overgrown bats. Rodolphus LeStrange led the flock into the room, flying directly toward Katie.

Snape drew his wand, pointed it at Katie, and commanded, "Protego Horibilis!" The flash of light splashed over her, giving her a powerful shield against dark magic.

Katie felt the shield surrounding her, and she grabbed her bag. She ran and ducked underneath the piano for cover.

Hermione and Harry were the first to retrieve their cloaks from their chairs and draw their wands. McGonagall turned into a cat, scratching the face of the death eater holding onto her arm and ran to the table for her wand. Ron picked up a piece of the splintered door and swung it, successfully knocking two Death Eaters to the ground. Ginny caught her wand as Harry tossed it to her, and stupefied two more Death Eaters. Flitwick, a master at charms, quickly used Incarcerous spells to bind the hands and feet of each Death Eater as they fell to the floor, dragging them to lie together in the middle of the room. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny took down three more Death Eaters, as a few of them retreated, quitting the group.

Rodolphus, laughing with a high pitched, evil cackle, flew past Snape, dropping Katie's lost miniseive locket into his hands. "Your whore is no Muggle, Severus Snape! She is our way to power!"

Snape briefly glanced at the glass bubble and saw the memory of the vampire with his hand on Katie's bare shoulder, seductively breathing on her neck. In anger, Snape threw a stunning spell to Rodolphus that sent him whirling against the hard, stone wall, tumbling to the floor. Stalking to where the fallen Death Eater should have landed, Snape realized he was gone from the spot, but he heard him cackling across the room. Running toward the voice, Snape and Harry sent potent streams of magic from their wands that merged into one stream, causing Rodolphus to explode in a fiery blaze that sifted to the floor in a pile of ashes.

Kingsley staggered back into the room and saw the last of the ashes drift to the floor. "His death must be avenged!" He called, wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Realizing that Kingsley's body was someone posing as him with the help of Polyjuice Potion, Hermione pointed her wand at him, discharging a stream of blue electricity as she commanded, "Stupefy!" Kingsley fell to the floor, temporarily stunned.

Snape ran to Kingsley's body and pulled out a small vial of Veritaserum from his pocket. Harry, Ron, and Professor Flitwick restrained him as McGonagall opened his mouth. Snape poured the truth serum into the sweating man's mouth and watched as he revealed himself as Lucious Malfoy.

Malfoy's cold, blue eyes opened, laughing with foul, chilling, malevolence. "We will have the heart of your Prilyrist, Severus Snape!

Two Death Eaters jumped from their brooms, pulling Katie from under the piano by her hair. "I will take her and make Snape watch," the first one said as he restrained her legs, running his hand up her leg through the slit in her dress.

Everyone looked to where the Death Eaters held down Katie. "Go, Severus! We've got this one! Take care of her!" McGonagall insisted.

Snape turned to help Katie, but he was hit with a stunning spell sent by the Death Eater restraining her arms, and he fell to the ground, knocked out cold. Harry quickly sent a counter curse, waking Snape, but leaving him with a splitting headache. Holding his head, he got to his feet.

The second Death Eater laughed as Snape fell, but gripped Katie's arms tighter, stretching them above her head. Letting go of her knee, the first Death Eater stood over her to undo his zipper and Katie used all the strength in her muscular legs to kick him directly between his legs, feeling a crunch as she hit her target. He fell to the floor on his side, holding himself, writhing in agony. The Death Eater holding her arms watched his companion, laughing at his pain, as Katie's upper body strength pulled him forward, and she brought both of her feet over her head, plunging one of the stiletto heels through his eye. He immediately released her arms and fell backward, grasping his eye with both of his hands, blood leaking between his fingers. She pulled the hoods off the men to discover they were the two vampires from the pub.

"Come on!" She called to the two vampires, "Fuck with me again!" Kicking each one in the groin, Harry, Ron, and Flitwick grimaced, knowing the pain to be great.

Still holding his head, Snape threw an Incarcerous spell, sending chains that bound the hands and feet of the vampires behind them. Katie pulled off the stilettos and began running to Snape just as Draco Malfoy flew threw the doors, stunning the distracted wizards who were restraining his father, knocking their wands away from them.

Lucious Malfoy jumped to his feet and hurled a thick stream of yellow magic at Katie, bellowing, "Imperio!" The spell hit Katie, causing her to fall to the floor in most unspeakable pain. She had no control of her faculties and she could neither scream, nor cry. She thought her spine was being pulled through her throat as Draco Malfoy used his wand to dangle her in the air as a puppet. Droplets of blood from her nose splattered to the floor, pooling on the stone beneath her.

Snape pointed his wand at Draco. "Lucious, call off your son, or I will send him to join the hounds of hell where he stands!"

Lucious Malfoy continued to laugh. "Do as he says, Draco. We will share her heart after I cut it out of her body."

"As you wish, Father." Draco pointed his wand higher, taking Katie almost to the ceiling, and he withdrew his wand, sending her into a freefall.

"Arresto Momentum!" McGonagall's voice commanded, causing Katie to stop falling a few feet above the floor, and she gently lowered Katie's body to a resting position.

Snape hurled magic from his wand at Draco, "Impedimenta!" The hex stunned Draco Malfoy, freezing him in place.

Simultaneously, Harry and Hermione silently retrieved their wands and attempted to overtake Lucious Malfoy. Distracting him long enough for Snape to perform a counter curse on Katie, he pulled her behind the overturned dining table for protection.

"Sev?" She whispered.

"Do not move, my love," Snape instructed as he waved healing spells over her body.

"I think I'm ok. That hurt like hell, though. My back is a little stiff, but I'm ok!"

A ball of magic fire hit the other side of the table, making them jump, and Snape covered her with his body. He heard Harry screaming for Hermione, who was frozen on the floor by a violent stunning curse.

"Stay here, Katie. Do not move!" Snape ordered, jumping over the table to fight Lucious Malfoy.

Flitwick was still out cold, but McGonagall turned into her animagus form a cat, taking Ron with her to secure the Castle grounds, and to search for Hagrid and Kingsley. She knew something was awry since Hagrid always kept his appointments, and he would not have missed the feast unless something was terribly wrong. Now that Malfoy had impersonated Kingsley, she was certain he was privy to confidential information regarding the Ministry of Magic, and that all the protective charms surrounding Hogwarts had been broken. It had been Malfoy who had come to question Snape about the Muggle woman.

Snape drew his wand, sending curses and hexes at Lucious Malfoy, hitting him with every dirty trick he knew. However, Malfoy quickly recovered from each one, breaking through the restraints of the rope bindings they had placed on him. Harry woke Hermione and helped her to her feet as Snape continued to do battle with the unbeatable wizard. Stepping over Draco Malfoy, Harry did not see his eyes open as Hermione followed him. They continued fighting Lucious, assuming Draco was defeated.

Lucious Malfoy fell just as Draco raised his dagger, plunging it directly into Katie's heart. The long, shrill scream of pain coming from Katie's voice caused every window in the Great Hall to explode, sending shards of glass flying in every direction.

Snape reached Draco first, stunning and binding him with ropes and chains all around his body, making him look like a mummy. Pushing Draco aside, he fell, bouncing as he landed on the hard floor, still safely bound. Snape took Katie's limp, bleeding body into his arms and tried to mend the wound with his wand, but her eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Winky ran in and poured the last remaining drops of the rainbow potion into her mouth.

Two more Death Eaters flew in and woke Lucious. Harry and Hermione quickly stunned and bound one of them, continuing their battle with him and the other Death Eater.

Snape sat on the floor, holding and rocking Katie in his arms as Winky looked on, both hoping the potion would save her. Katie inhaled as though she was taking her first breath after being under water. She coughed, but she was alive. Snape quickly mended her flesh and Scourgified her clothing, placing the port key book in her hands. Ignoring the ongoing fighting in the room, Snape pulled a pen and the Liszt booklet from her bag and began scribbling something on the music. Winky's huge eyes were watching every move he made, knowing that what he was about to do was the only choice he could make to keep Katie alive and safe. Winky tearfully put Katie's stilsettos into the bag and sat it on top of her red, shiny lap.

Snape raised his wand to Katie and said tearfully, through gritted teeth, "Obliviate!"

Katie, now confused and weak, had no recollection of where she was, and was mortified of Snape. She gasped, scared of Winky, who put the canvas bag on her lap and wiped tears away as she sadly stared back at Katie.

Snape spoke in a firm voice to Katie. "You must hold tight to the book that is in your hands and recite these words to exit the dream you are now having." A loud crash from a stray spell sounded on the other side of the table, startling them. Snape continued giving instructions to Katie, in what Winky thought were harsh tones. "When you wake, you will be safe." Snape saw the panic in her eyes as she nodded to him. "Read aloud! _Now_!" He ordered.

Katie clenched the book to her chest with one hand and held the Liszt music closer to her eyes to read his writing with the other. "I-I w-wish this was all it took t-to m-make me happy." She glanced at him to make sure she read it right, her eyes round with terror.

In a flash she was gone.

Standing on his knees, wrought with grief, Snape fell forward onto his hands to where Katie just lay. The floor was still warm from her body. He lay down on the spot in fetal position, feeling the last of her warmth fading from the marble underneath him. Her wrap was still draped around his neck and he pulled it tighter around him, picking up a hint of coconut fragrance left lingering on it from her hair. The raging battle going on around him continued for hours, making its way outside to the grounds until it finally ended with the end of the Death Eater movement. He could do nothing but lie on the cold stone floor, wishing for death to come to him.

From the wreckage of the room, Winky crawled from under a pile of rubble, and took Snape's hand, helping him to his feet. Without a word said, she placed in his other hand a roll of manuscript paper, tied up with the light blue silk ribbon from Katie's nightgown. The elf turned to walk away, dropping her small shoulders forward, and she sulked toward the exit, wiping her eyes.

Snape found it difficult to breathe, and he did nothing but stand in place, holding the parchment in front of him, staring at it as though the paper was something foreign. He was distracted from his trance when Hagrid ran into the Great Hall, crunching the glass under his feet from the broken windows. He picked up one of the huge, broken doors and leaned it against the wall as he talked to Snape.

"Sorry I missed all the excitement...I've been tied up, so ter speak. Kingsley...er the _real_ Kingsley's gone with the others ter take the Death Eaters back ter the Ministry. Where's Katie? I need ter talk..." He abruptly stopped speaking when he saw Snape's mental condition. On her way out of the room, Winky stopped in front of Hagrid, looking up at him through tearful eyes and shook her head. She dropped her head toward the floor and slowly continued out of the Great Hall. He knew she wasn't dead because her body was not in the room.

Clearing his throat, Hagrid said, "If'n it helps any, they've got the Death Eater situation under control. Them that come here ternight...they were the only leaders left. It's over! You can go'n get 'er."

Snape's black eyes were blank, his voice low and macabre. "It is too late. Her memories from this week have been wiped away and the portal has closed forever." He walked to the door. Looking straight ahead, he stopped and handed the miniseive locket to Hagrid on his way out. "You are right. It_ is_ over."

Hagrid followed Snape into the tower, trying to give back the locket, but Snape ignored him as he sat at his desk, staring at the rolled up parchment. Hagrid sat on the edge of the sofa, waiting for Snape to untie the ribbon.

McGonagall burst into the room, flinging open the door, this time without knocking on her way in. Exasperated, she said, "Severus, thank the heavens I found you! The leaders have all been captured and are on their way to Azkaban as we speak! I must see Katie. Is she alright?"

Hagrid tried to signal to McGonagall to be quiet, but she had already made her way to Snape's bedroom to find Katie. He walked from the sofa to cut McGonagall off before she could ask anything else about their former guest.

Hagrid put his hands on both of McGonagall's shoulders and explained to her what had happened to Katie. Her blue eyes turned into pools of water and she buried her face in Hagrid's belly as they silently cried together.

Snape slammed his hands down on his desk on either side of the parchment, causing the crying couple to jump and turn to face him.

"You have information that could have helped her!" Snape morosely rasped at McGonagall as he rose from his chair. Pointing his long, jointed finger at her, he angrily stalked toward her. "_You_ were there. _You_ knew her as an infant." His dark eyes danced, becoming wild. Hagrid pulled McGonagall behind him to protect her.

"Ye need ter jus' calm down. She can't tell ye less she dies 'n that's that. Take one more step toward her, Severus Snape, 'n I'll blast ye!"

Dumbledore's portrait became animated, his voice boomed, echoing throughout the castle, and rattled the glass of the potions bottles on the shelves. "Calm down, Severus!"

Snape clenched his fists and stormed away from Hagrid, pacing back and forth until he flopped down on the sofa. Taking a throw pillow in his hands, he brought it to his face to hide his tears. It smelled of Lavender from Katie's hair and he breathed it in, defeated.

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End Notes: Poor, brooding Snape. Will he ever get to just be happy and stay that way? Le sigh.

Don't forget to leave me some feedback!


	15. Chapter 15 Masquerade Ball

Masquerade Ball

Katie woke up disoriented on the floor of the tiny practice room. She had no idea what day or time it was. The sun shone through the window and the room was bright and becoming hotter as the morning wore on. Napping in the floor of the practice room was not out of the ordinary for her after long hours of practice, but this time was different. She had difficulty waking up and remembering where she was. Her back was stiff and her head throbbed, causing her vision to blur. It was as if she had been under anesthesia and couldn't wake up easily.

Placing her hand on the piano bench to pull herself up, she realized she was wearing a formal evening gown that she had never seen before. Although her clothes were beautiful, she felt violated not knowing where they came from or how they came to be on her body. She assumed she had been to a party and got too drunk to drive home and had passed out in the floor of her tiny practice room. She recalled a dark man giving her instructions, but she dismissed it as a resulting dream from her stupor.

She picked up her bag and held onto the wall as she made her way to the ladies room. While washing her hands, she glanced in the mirror and saw a shimmering diamond and pearl necklace, sparkling with powerful tiny explosions as the stones from the matching earrings flickered like small strobe lights. When she touched them, an overwhelming feeling of longing and sadness overtook her, as if someone or something had been taken from her. She began to cry, feeling sick at her stomach, and soon heaved into the sink, still sobbing.

After splashing water on her face, she began to feel physically better, but she still had an emptiness coming from deep within her soul. She left the building and headed to her car. The parking lot was full, and people were staring at her as they passed by, whispering to themselves. She ignored them, seeing a few other girls in formal dresses walking through the parking lot on their way back to their sorority houses. They were also carrying their shoes in their hands as they walked, trying to hide their disheveled hair and black mascara streaks down their faces. Katie did not feel so alone in her appearance.

In the distance, she heard the roar of the stadium and the band playing _Forward Rebels, _indicating a touchdown. _At least now I know it's Saturday_, she thought. Putting the shoes into her bag, she clutched the canvas to her chest , and she lowered her head, ignoring the stares of tailgating football fans. She began to walk in time to the fight song and chanted with the crowd under her breath_, Hotty Toddy! Gosh a Mighty! Who the Hell are We!.Hey! Flim Flam Bim Bam Ole Miss by Damn!_ The campus thundered with excitement, but something about the cheer made her feel melancholy, and the emptiness returned in the pit of her stomach.

Standing next to her red Volkswagen Beetle, she reached into her bag and plunged to the bottom to dig for her keys, but easily found them snapped neatly to the band at the top. _That's weird_, she thought aloud_, I can never find them in that bag_. She plucked the multitude of pink parking tickets from under the wiper blade and threw them flying in the wind, cussing out loud as she cranked the engine and slammed the car door shut.

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As the days passed, Snape remained alone in the tower, only leaving for meals or necessary business. He spent most of his time either staring out the window or looking at the pictures Harry snapped of them at McGonagall's feast. In his favorite magic picture, Katie's red dress and jewelry sparkled, showing off her beautiful smile as she playfully threw her arms around him, laughing, as the camera is snapped. He watched the short scene repeat over and over.

The things she left behind were neatly folded and sitting on the dining table in front of the Great Windows. Snape took time everyday to carefully unfold and refold Katie's black sundress and matching sweater, as well as her nightgown, and perfectly stacked them in the same place every time he touched them. He had placed her tattered sneakers next to them and he carried her wristwatch in his pocket.

Hagrid frequently made his way to the castle to try and make him feel better, but it was to no avail. Snape had returned to his previous miserable way of being and he sulked around, snapping at everyone who came near him. Finally, Hagrid had enough and spoke up.

"I miss 'er, too! It's not fair that you get ta set up here all day 'n sulk. Ye did what ye had ter do 'n that's that. Without the key ter open tha book she won't be a comin' back!" Hagrid's eyes were streaming with tears running into his wiry beard. He turned his back and wiped them on his arm, adding to the existing dried, salty tear stains on his coat.

"Leave me! Get out of here!" Snape snapped, "Do not talk to me about her anymore! She no longer exists! You know full well I saw to that!" He turned back to the window and put his forehead on the glass pane, as if it would somehow take away the aching inside him.

Someone knocked lightly on the door. Hagrid did not wait for Snape to move, and he answered it, ready to handle whoever was there. He was shocked to find Aberforth Dumbledore waiting to enter. Hagrid held open the door as Aberforth shuffled in, followed by Minerva McGonagall.

"Could I have a word?" He asked Snape, meekly holding his hat in his hands, twisting the brim nervously.

Aberforth Dumbledore was an ancient man, with distinct similarities to his brother, Albus. They shared the features of a long white beard and sterling blue eyes, but had completely different views on life. Aberforth was not as much of a positive thinker as his late older brother, but his heart was in the right place when it was absolutely necessary.

Hagrid started to leave, but Aberforth insisted that he stay.

"What is it you want? Make it quick!" Snape snapped, not turning around.

"I know who she is," mumbled the old man.

Snape spun around, listening intently. Aberforth did not speak right away, but he slowly shuffled toward Snape, and dropped his hat on the table. Pulling out a chair, he sat, breathing as though he had just completed a race. What he knew was apparently difficult for him since he appeared uncomfortable and did not know how to begin. He continued to rub his forehead with his weathered fingers before he spoke.

Albus Dumbledore breathed an audible sigh of relief as he sat back in his portrait, offering support for his brother.

"Well?" Snape was losing his patience.

Aberforth looked individually at everyone in the room, and sighed as if he was about to give his last confession. "I am an old man with many regrets."

Exhaling, he looked at his hands and clasped them together, squeezing them until his wrinkled hands turned white. His blue eyes turned into slits of liquid as he began to sob.

McGonagall patted his shoulder, trying to comfort him while they were all eagerly awaiting his story. The old man raised his head and looked at Snape with an apologetic expression.

"She is my great-granddaughter," he sighed. "I figured it out the day she came to the pub and played the piano. Covering his eyes with his hand, he sobbed, "It was just like seeing Arianna!"

Mcgonagall interjected, "I saw it too! I _knew_ she looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I wanted it to be her, Albus, she looks so much like her mother!" Looking at Snape apologetically, she added, "That was the day I realized who she was."

"I thought she looked fermiliar when I first saw her 'n Snape snoggin' by the lake...er...I shoudn't a said that," Hagrid said, shrinking under Snape's glare.

Glaring at McGonagall, he snarled, "Of course you knew it was her, Minerva. You may stop pretending now".

Taking a seat across from the old man, Snape spoke empathetically to him, "I never knew you had a family, Aberforth."

"No one did," rasped the old man, clearing his throat. He looked at McGonagall, appreciative she had not betrayed the blood oath between them. Aberforth continued studying his hands as he spoke. "After Arianna's death I ran off to get away...Ended up in Russia. I stayed there for years trying to forget. Met a red haired Veela named Penelope in March and I married her in April...Loved her so much I couldn't breathe. A year later we had a baby girl...Named her Kenya after my mother. When Kenya was six years old, Penelope died from the fever." Putting his hand over his eyes, he propped his elbow on the table, trying to regain his composure.

Snape pursed his lips, listening intently for the man to continue his story. McGonagall crossed her legs in Snape's leather chair across from Hagrid, whose massive body took up most of the sofa. They did not speak, but patiently waited in unison for the explanation.

"I did the best I knew how to raise a little girl, but she grew up full of energy and rebellion. I guess she was angry she grew up without a mother. I didn't know what I was doing." He paused and took in a deep, slow breath, followed by a tearful exhale. "I was harsh on her. She was a month away from turning eighteen when she ran away. I looked everywhere for her. I always wanted to apologize for the way I was, but I never found her, so I moved back here to help my brother. She came home a few years later to ask my permission to marry a wizard named Slavinovsky. I had heard of him and didn't like his dealings with the dark arts. I didn't give it, but she married him anyway. I didn't hear anything else from her until she came home with a baby girl... She said they were in danger of a _Dark Lord_ her husband had betrayed. I gave her the Family Book and turned it into a port key so she could get here to safety whenever she needed it. I was still angry with her for marrying that man and I charmed the book with restrictions so she could only use it at certain times..." He closed his eyes in pain of the regretful memories of his life and cried into a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.

"The dark wizard murdered her to get even with Slavinovski." He sobbed harder and cried as he recalled the painful memories. "She looked so much like her mother...the same red hair...green eyes..." He sighed and looked at the picture Snape gripped in his hands. The old man held the picture close to his eyes and touched it gently with his fingers.

"After her death," he continued, "the dark wizard caught up with Slavinovsky and battled him in a duel. Slavinovsky thought he had defeated the dark wizard and left him for dead, but he lived through it with dark magic. The dark wizard made it publicly known that he was hunting Slavinovski and his family so he came here with baby Arianna. We sent her as far away as possible to a family I knew in Russia. Arianna turned out to be a musician. She grew up and married a wizard composer named Dimitri. After all, she was part Siren from her father's side and Veela on her mother's side. I heard her sing once in London...It was the only time I ever saw her, and she never knew I was there."

Aberforth stopped talking and conjured a glass of water. He picked it up, trembling, spilling droplets onto the table as he lifted it to his mouth to drink. Closing his eyes, he sat back in his chair and turned his face to the ceiling, tears trickled from the corners of his eyes, bouncing over the wrinkles around his eyes. He stared sadly at his brother's portrait, who nodded approvingly for him to continue.

"Arianna and Dimitri were touring with an American symphony in the States. They were in New York City when they went on holiday from the tour to spend time with their baby. They were killed in an automobile accident leaving the city. The baby was in the back seat and survived with only a few cuts. She was adopted by an American family who could not have children of their own. Until last week the dark wizard, Voldemort, continued his hunt for the Book of Lineage to kill every last one of them." His steel, blue eyes stared out the window, feeling relieved that he sought retribution after a long life of stubborn silence in order to protect his family.

"What is her birth name? Snape asked, as if in a trance.

"Katerina Aleena Copland. And she has no idea who she really is."

Aberforth took his hat and pulled himself up from the chair. "Minerva, thank you for keeping my family's dark secret all these years. I apologize to you for putting you in that situation, but as you know, it had to be done."

Aberforth said nothing, but tossed a small key onto the table, jingling as it bounced, coming to rest in front of Snape. Shuffling to the door, he looked back at Snape, "She chose you, Severus. The rest is up to _you_ now." He walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Snape found the rolled up manuscript Winky had given him in his hands. Untying the ribbon, he unrolled it. On the paper was her written notation of '_Sev's Theme'_. Katie had only scratched out the Melody, but her notation was impeccably neat, he thought. At the bottom of the page, she had written, "_In case you are ever lost, my address is 1458 University Avenue, Oxford, Ms, USA._" He closed his eyes and held the paper to his chest.

McGonagall gently pulled it from his hands, and read it. Wiping her eyes as she passed it to Hagrid, she said empathetically, "Severus you must not make rash decisions. You run the risk of exposing our world if you go into the Muggle world looking for her!"

"She belongs here with me, Minerva!" He asserted. "Sometimes I feel our..._connection _when she sings. The Death Eater Movement is over and she will be safe here."

Hagrid took timid, slow steps toward Snape, "She won't remember ye. An she loved her folks...Maybe it's better fer her not ter know 'bout all this. It'd break 'er heart. I want 'er back, too, but she's better off where she is."

Snape spat back, "And what about her magic? It is dangerous for her to not know how to properly use it!"

Two weeks later, Katie wore the sparkling, red evening gown to her recital. The pearls and diamonds encased in her jewelry sparkled impressively under the spotlights on the stage as she approached the piano. She felt confident in her attire, and she played the program to an audience of twenty five people. Five of them were faculty members and a few of her friends, but mostly students who were required to attend. She played from her heart and poured her soul into getting every note and dynamic just right. She thought it odd that she felt confident about her repertoire, as if she had already performed it. She never became nervous at any point before, during, or after her performance, which was rare for her.

Taking her bows, she saw a tall, dark figure leave the shadows of the balcony as her instructor walked onto the stage and handed her a mammoth size bouquet full of red roses, sprinkled with lavender and baby's breath. Attached to the card was a small key. The card read:

_**Break a leg!**_

_**-Sev-**_

On the way out of the auditorium, she asked her instructor who the flowers were from. He said they were sent to him during the recital with instructions to give them to her, but he did not see who gave them to him. She stopped walking and looked at the card again. _Sev_, she read aloud. _Must be a secret admirer_, she laughed to herself, but she felt an unexplainable sense of longing when she put the key on her keychain. She cranked her car and drove home.

A month later, Katie accepted a job in New York, teaching music to inner city children. The job didn't pay much, but she wanted to be in the cultural center of the country and she needed a change of scenery. She thought a new challenge would bring her spirits up. She continued to feel as if something was missing, but she lived her life the best way she knew how, and thought the job would be fulfilling.

Halloween came on a Saturday, and she spent the morning in her pajamas, watching television and eating ice cream out of the carton. Her fluffy cat, Skittles, was curled up on the couch beside her, licking the lid. Katie put down the carton and looked around at her miniscule, messy apartment. Clothes were strewn everywhere, books were scattered all over the floor, and the litter box reeked.

She eventually made it to her bedroom after cleaning the rest of the apartment. Opening her closet door, she started tossing things into a huge, green garbage sack. She decided to be ruthless and throw away everything she thought she could live without. She found a box of old family photos and she looked at a few while she cried, but put them away and continued cleaning.

Everything had been pulled out of the bottom of the closet except her Ole Miss bag. She started to toss it in the garbage bag, but she decided to see what was inside it. She could hear her cell phone ringing in the other room so she carried the bag with her to answer the phone. On the way into the living room, she tripped over the vaccum cleaner, and spilled most of the contents of the bag. She left the mess to answer the phone.

Her new friend, Sophia, was a fellow teacher at the middle school where Katie taught. She invited her to a costume party being held in the Village later that evening. Sophia finally convinced her to put on some overalls and come as a hillbilly. They laughed at the thought.

"I think I'll go as a vampire....a dead prom queen vampire who's had all the life sucked out of her" The cat was noisily knocking something around on the floor. "Let me call you back." Katie closed her phone and yelled at the cat, "Stop that, Skittles!" He playfully scattered everything that fell out of her bag. He had crawled into it and pulled out anything he could put his paws on and was now attacking her lipstick, knocking it all over the hard floor.

She began picking up the scattered mess, dropping everything into the bag. Reaching under the couch to retrieve the tube of lipstick, her hand found something that felt like a bracelet. She pulled it from underneath the sofa and removed the dust balls from it. Sitting up cross legged on the floor, she held the bracelet in her hand, trying to remember getting it, but she thought it was simply something she had bought on impulse, and had forgotten about it. Taking a closer look, she saw that it was made of real pearls with tiny shells in between each one, and strung together with a strange type of knotted string, like seaweed.

She put the bracelet around her wrist and felt the smoothness of the pearls. Scenes from a dark lake with the reflection of green mountains began to flash in her mind. She saw the trident come out of the water with the bracelet hanging from it, and she saw herself pulling Snape out of the lake, giving him CPR. She remembered kissing him in the green grass, and Hagrid belting laughter as he slapped the table. She became dizzy as all her memories from Hogwarts spun into her heart and mind. Suddenly her sadness made sense, making her excited and happy.

Sober with excitement and reality, she tried to figure out what she had done with the book. Picking up the bag, she dumped out all of the contents onto the hard wood floor. She finally found the small, ancient book hidden between two old notebooks. She looked at the Liszt music, realizing the strange message written across the front of it was Snape's penmanship and she hugged it to her chest.

Grabbing her locked book, she began chanting, "I wish to go to Hogwarts! I wish to go to Hogwarts!" Gripping the book to her heart, she waited, but nothing happened.

Looking at it, she tried to remember what to do, and she began to lose hope until she remembered the flowers from her recital. Jumping up, she ran to her purse in the kitchen, sliding on the clean floor with her oversized bunny house shoes, and she grabbed her keys. She ran back to the living room, sliding on her knees to where the book was lying on the floor. Without removing it from her keychain, she found the small key with the skull face on it and put it into the keyhole of the lock. It fit perfectly and she slowly turned the key, popping apart the lock with a small click.

Cracking open the book, the light coming from inside it bathed her face in loving warmth. It gave her an overwhelming feeling of security and comfort, and she saw her parents among the light. They introduced her to her biological parents who presented her with the knowledge and the history of the book, as well as its significance. Behind her parents was a crowd of people waving to her, and she knew they were all of her family members who had passed on. She recognized some of them as being the strange people she had seen in the tunnel when she was sucked out of the practice room.

The last person to walk away before she closed the book was Albus Dumbledore. Wearing a vivid red Hawaiian flowered shirt over his robes, he lowered his dark sunglasses and smiled at her through his long, white beard. The old man winked as he handed her a gigantic yellow flower similar to the ones on his grave, and she was proud to know that he was actually her great uncle. Placing his shades back over his eyes, he turned, as did the rest of her family, to walk toward what looked like a well lit tunnel leading to a fantastic party.

Closing the book, she still held the flower. It filled the room with the sweet fragrance of the garden surrounding his grave. She was not sad or angry about being adopted, but grateful that she was fortunate to have had two sets of wonderful people who loved her with all their hearts.

When she arrived at Hogwarts, she landed in the pumpkin patch next to Hagrid's hut. It was dark and cold and she could see her breath as she tried to run on the uneven earth in her bunny house shoes. There was a light in the window, so she was sure he was home. Her skin was freezing and she pulled her arms inside her thin t-shirt to keep warm as she stood on the landing.

Opening the door, Hagrid didn't hesitate to pull her inside. He hugged her so hard she couldn't breathe, but he realized it when she wheezed for him to stop.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that," he grunted, embarrassed that he was always forgetting his own strength.

"Hagrid, we've got a lot to talk about, but I need to find Severus. How is he? She asked, her head bent back to see up to his face. She felt like a toddler next to his massive height.

"Oh, he's pinin' away 'roun' here' somers'. He's been a real mess since ye left. Like ta killed 'im when he had ter wipe yer mem'ry."

"Where is he?" She asked, shaking, her teeth chattering.

Hagrid grabbed a throw from his chair and put it around her shoulders.

"I serpose he's in the Great Hall gettin' things ready fer the ball. I was jus gettin' ready ter go up there when ye knocked. We'll go tergether. Let me get me costume."

Hagrid's costume consisted of a simple black plastic mask on a stick. Katie laughed, but realized she was standing there with worn flannel pajama pants and a skimpy t-shirt that said 'BAD GIRL' written in bright red letters.

"Damn! I was in such a hurry to get here I left my bag behind! I'll just use the book to run back and get it!"

"NO!" Yelped Hagrid. "Ye have ter wait! Remember?" He took the book and threw it in a drawer, slamming it shut.

There was a pop as Winky apperated into the room. She ran across the room holding up a full-length, black velvet dress.

"Winky made Katie clothes," she said, presenting it to Katie, with matching shoes.

Katie's dress was a perfect reproduction of Renaissance style nobility. The bodice was tight fitting, trimmed in sparkly rhinestones, showing a small waist leading to a full skirt with an inset section down the front that opened to show off a sparkly gold satin fabric with lace overlay. The sleeves were full at the shoulder and tight on the arms. The rhinestone trim donned the sleeves and the low neckline. The corset Winky insisted she wear showcased a cleavage she never knew she had. Winky also made her a full mask of red and black Phoenix feathers, complete with sequins.

Katie walked out of the bedroom after changing into the dress. Hagrid's jaw dropped and his mask fell to the ground. Winky jumped up and down clapping her hands with delight and gave Katie a long, black velvet cloak to wear over her dress.

"Hagrid," Katie said playfully, pulling the cape around her, "Take me to the ball!"

The castle was bustling with life and celebration as students frolicked from the courtyard to all over the castle. They were dressed in various costumes from the grotesque to the most beautiful fairies. Hagrid and Katie walked inside and scanned the room for Snape. Every head turned to see Hagrid walking in with the stunning woman in black velvet. He beamed, smiling with anticipation as he also looked for Snape.

The phoenix feather mask was hot, but Katie continued to wear it as they entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle. No one seemed to recognize her as they stared, and she dared not remove the mask. The Great Hall was crowded with students and the enchanted ceiling held hovering jack o lanterns and floating candles among the stars.

Katie could not wait to find Snape, so she thought the quickest way to find him would be from the stage. She made her way through the crowd and waited next to the stage for the band to take a break. Professor Flitwick appeared from the edge of the stage on his way to go up the steps of the platform to tell the band to stop playing inappropriate music. Katie grabbed his arm, taking him by surprise.

"Professor Flitwick! We never got a chance to talk, but ah'm Katie. Do you remember me?"

He tried to recognize her eyes through the mask. He frowned, as if he did not remember, but suddenly caught on to her accent. His eyes opened as his face became animated, "Of course! Of course! Does Headmaster Snape know you are here?"

"No! He doesn't! That's why ah'm at the stage looking for you. Can you help me find him? Ah need this crappy band ta take a break!

"I couldn't agree with you more, Miss Katie. Follow me!" He stepped up onto the platform, offering his small hand to Katie.

The band quit playing in the middle of their song and they left the stage, disgruntled. Boos and sighs among the students filled the room at the sudden interruption of their dance music. The band quit and left for the evening as the students stopped to watch and wait for what was happening on the stage.

A full orchestra of ghosts appeared, awaiting instructions from Flitwick, who passed out sheets of music to each one of them. The horn section quickly looked over the music, while the drummer from Katie's recital winked at her. The upright bass player switched legs as he waited for the cue. She sat at the piano, scanning the room for Snape, nervously waiting for Flitwick to get the musicians tuned. He nodded to her and she began the introduction to "_Somewhere Over the Rainbow_", just as she had played it twice before. The crowd of students began to sway, taking their partners in a slow dance.

Outside in the parking area, Snape patrolled the carriages, opening one with a flash of his wand. A cute second year named Marissa Johns, dressed up like a Mermaid, and a handsome third year named Bradley Timbers, dressed as a very mean looking Severus Snape jumped out, trying to run away. Snape caught them both by their arms.

"That's fifty points from Hufflepuff, Miss Johns, and...a hundred points from Gryffindor, Mr. Timbers, for scuffed shoes!"

As the students ran back into the castle, he stopped cold when he heard the familiar music coming from inside_. How could they play this song? I knew we should have never hired this band!_ He grumbled under his breath, walking to the entrance of the Great Hall. Bursting in, he threw a weak stream of magic at the stage. It hit the gong, making it ring loudly. Winky, sitting next to it, put her hands on it to stop the vibration, and she smiled, happy she was able to help.

Without missing a note, Katie vamped the intro as she saw Snape's actions. Speaking through the spelled microphone, she laughed, "You'll have to do better'n that if you wanna shut me up, Severus Snape!"

The students roared with laughter and cheered for Katie, who beamed at Snape from the stage. "Ok, yaw'll, I'm dedicatin' this song to Severus Snape." She began to sing and the students swayed.

"Katie." Snape said, breathless, and he braced his hand on the door facing.

McGonagall came in behind him and gasped, "Katie!" Covering her mouth, she grabbed Snape's arm.

Hagrid joined them and told them briefly about her arrival. They listened to the music through watery eyes. Snape began inching his way to the stage, arriving at the edge just as the song ended. Katie left the piano and met him at the steps. His heart raced and she lunged into his arms.

"Oh, Sev! Ah was almost afraid to come back 'cause ah was scared you'd be dead after that night," she whispered to him in his ear, hugging him tightly.

Neither one realized her voice was still enchanted with the microphone spell. Everyone in the Great Hall heard every word of their conversation. The room was deathly quiet, and all ears and eyes were on the two of them.

Her warm breath on his ear awoke in him the euphoric feelings he had begun to enjoy so many months ago. His voice broke as he began to ask, "How did you..."

Katie put her finger to his lips to stop him from asking questions. She knew they would have time to catch up on everything later. Hagrid was, of course, crying and Mcgonnigall put her hand over her heart and swooned. Harry and Ginny entered, followed by Hermione and Ron to join the crowded room in watching the reunion of the two lovers.

Pulling her mask away from her face, he leaned down and kissed her openly. The students were staring with their mouths open and Professor Flitwick started applauding. The room erupted with applause when Snape bent her slightly over, kissing her for everyone to see, and he reveled in the fact that they were the center of attention.

She looked into his black eyes, now gleaming with delight, "I love you, Sev." Her words were louder than the cheering and applauding in the room, but that made it louder. Bringing her upright, he broke into a blushing smile, nodding as she bowed and curtseyed to the crowd, laughing and holding onto his arm.

As soon as the noise began to die down, Snape cleared his throat, looking around with an expression that threatened taking points from every house. "As soon as these pesky students are quiet, I would like to say something to you, Miss Hawkins." The room immediately became deathly silent. Turning to Katie, he said sweetly and softly, "Katie, you are the love of my life." Kneeling before her, he took her left hand and placed a rather large, sparkling diamond upon her finger. "Marry me, Katie."

Everyone waited for Katie's reply. She playfully acted as though she was thinking it over. "Will you do what ah tell you ta do when ah tell you to do it?"

"Yes." He said.

"Will you love me no matter how mad ah get at you?"

"Yes." He replied, smiling.

"Will you take out the garbage?"

"Yes, if you require me to do so," he replied, becoming amusingly annoyed.

"Then, yes, Severus Snape, I will marry you." She pulled him up by his hand and the room cheered, thundering with applause. Hugging him tightly, speaking breathily into his ear, "I will love you til the day I die, Sev."

Professor Mcgonnigall made her way to the stage and announced, "I would like to introduce you to Katie Lee Hawkins. She is a musician from the United States and you will be seeing a lot of her from now on. Katie, would you please come and play something else for us?"

The students cheered and applauded as Snape walked her to the steps and gentlemanly helped her up, shooting an unapproving glance at McGonagall. Katie and Professor Flitwick momentarily huddled with the orchestra. She sat at the piano, nodding that she was ready. Seeing that it was the Steinway, she glanced at Snape. He looked down, blushing and smiling with memories.

The students loved her right away as she played an entire section of popular music most of them were familiar with. They danced until their feet hurt, and they shouted requests at the end of every tune. When she wanted to take a break, they booed and she would give in and play one more and then one more. Finally, Snape playfully stalked up the steps, stone faced onto the stage, and picked her up. The students booed and hissed as he carried her off the stage, out of the Great Hall, and into the garden to the beat of another thunderous applause.

"Thanks for the flowers," she said as soon as they were alone outside in the quiet of the garden.

"_What_ flowers?" he asked, playing innocent. "I am only joking. Nothing could have kept me from going to your recital. You played wonderfully! I was so very proud of you." His breath took form in the cold night air. Holding her tightly to him, he said, "Now you are home."

She pulled her velvet cloak around them, relaxed into his embrace, and she sighed, "Yes I am."

They lived happily ever after.

The End.

End Notes: Thank you soooo much for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please leave some feedback and tell me what you thought, unless you didn't like it and that'll just hurt me if you're mean on purpose. Please be nice to me. This is my first completed fic and I'm celebrating with a Snicker's and a real can of Coke with actual sugar!


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